Craig Drama!
by EMOSAURUS
Summary: FINALLY UPDATED! Part 21: The news of Ashley's baby stresses Craig to the point where he breaks down, but the help of his old friend might just be enough.
1. Part 1: Wheelchair

Title: Part 1 of the Craig Drama Series

Summary: For all of those out there who enjoy Craig drama and/or the CrAsh thing, yay! You found it! Some out of character things, but other than that…Yeah. And, if you don't like CrAsh, well, that's too damn bad because I'm not changing it to 'CrAnny' because that's just totally gay. (No offense to gays or lesbians).

Plot Summary: First day of school. Craig falls down the stairs. Hmm. Now he's in got something in common with Jimmy---they're both in wheelchairs. Craig and Ashley talk…and Ashley rethinks a breakup with Craig.

Angela Jeremiah ran outside, to the garage, where her father and stepmother were. "Daddy, I---" Angela began. Her father, Joey, interrupted her.

"Angela, can't you see Caitlin and I are talking? You can't interrupt," Joey said firmly.

"I know, but it's important!" Angela cried.

"Angie! Whatever it is, it can wait!" Joey said loudly. He was beginning to get annoyed with his usually polite daughter.

"Daddy! It's Craig!" Angie cried helplessly. "He needs help!" Joey sighed before saying in a calm voice, "What does Craig need help with?"

Angie took a breath. "Craig can't get up," she said quietly.

"Angie, you shouldn't joke like that," Joey said. He'd actually started to think Craig could be hurt, but rethought it when Angie had a small smile on her face.

"I'm not joking! He really needs help!" Angie whined.

"Joey, why don't we go see what she's talking about?" Caitlin suggested. Joey sighed and stood up off the old couch in his garage and walked to the front door. He slowly opened it.

"Angie! Is that you? Did you get help?" Craig shouted from the floor.

Joey opened the door wide. He dropped to his knees next to Craig. "Craig, what happened?" Joey said quickly, trying to sit Craig up on the steps. Craig winced in pain as his legs moved. "I got up and I was about to go do something and my foot slipped and I fell down the stairs. Now I think my legs are broken," Craig said, wincing again, but trying to be brave in front of Joey. "Damn. I need to go the hospital. It hurts…" Craig rested his upper body on the steps, and turned away from Joey slowly.

Walking out of the kitchen, Caitlin went over to where Joey and Craig were on the stairs, Angie sitting next to her father. "I called an ambulance," she said quietly, sitting next to Angie.

"Thanks," said Joey. "Okay, now…what? We just wait?"

"I guess," Caitlin said.

"I hate waiting!" Angie said.

"Amen to that, Angie," Craig muttered.

"Does it hurt too bad, Craig?" asked Joey.

"No, Joey. It just feels like beat my legs in with a large stick. But no, it doesn't hurt," Craig said darkly. Joey gave Craig a dirty look.

"I'm just trying to help, Craig. Okay? I'm doing the best I can," said Joey, sighing with irritation.

"I know. I'm sorry, Joey. I just… it's a damn fracture. You can't expect it to not hurt," Craig said, sighing and turning onto his back. "I'm tired. I think something's up with the meds or something because ever since I got the prescription filled, I'm tired every time I take them."

"We'll check it out at the pharmacy," said Joey. "But I think I hear an ambulance outside, so we'd better get you to the hospital." Craig sighed. A paramedic knocked on the door, and Joey let them in to take Craig to the hospital. When Craig was situated and inside the ambulance, Joey climbed inside with him.

Craig lay in silence as the ambulance drove to the hospital. Pain pulsed through his nerves. Silently, two tears rolled down his face. He looked at Joey, who was unfortunately watching as this happened. Craig shut his eyes. 'Evil Joey,' he thought. 'Always has to watch me. He thinks I'm insane.' He let out a heavy sigh.

As the ambulance pulled in next to the entrance for emergencies, Craig opened his eyes. He looked at Joey immediately. His face was buried in his hands. Craig knew he was tired and stressed, having to take care of him, Angie, himself, and his car lot, and he suddenly felt guilty for putting Joey through this. So, just as the door to the hospital was about to open and take Craig inside, he said to Joey, "I'm sorry for doing this."

And then he was taken to a room where he would stay until he got casts on both his legs. Joey entered several minutes later. Craig pretended to be asleep. He knew Joey wasn't stupid, but he probably wouldn't notice Craig's lack of natural sleeping traits. His muscles were tense, and his eyes he had to force to stay shut. His breathing was quieter than usual, but his head was tilted off to the side like it usually was when he slept on his back.

When a doctor came in about a half-hour later, Craig was taken into a room where he got a cast on each of his legs. Two hours later, he was in his hospital bed again. As he lay with Joey in silence, Craig actually started to doze off. It was his meds again. Soon enough, he fell asleep. His body tensed every so often, and he had extremely rapid eye movements. Thirty minutes later, Joey had almost dozed off himself, but he heard his stepson beginning to hyperventilate in his sleep and knew something wasn't right.

Looking over at Craig, his face was covered in cold sweat, and his head was being tossed from side to side quickly. Joey stood up and took a hold of Craig's shoulders. "Craig! Craig!" Joey shouted. "Craig! Wake up!"

"Dad, don't… I promise I won't be late again…I swear…" Craig muttered. Joey held Craig's head straight. "Craig! Wake up!" Joey shouted. Craig continued to say things to himself until Joey put a cold washcloth over his face. Craig opened his eyes and gasped for breath.

Craig didn't remember anything from the past few hours. "Why am I in the hospital? What the---oh my God, he broke my legs!" Craig shouted.

"What?" said Joey blankly.

"My dad, he---he was just…he…nothing, he's dead," Craig muttered.

"Craig, you fell down the stairs," Joey said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh, yeah. I remember that now," Craig said coolly. "God…Joey, I think something's seriously wrong with me. I sleep all the time, I'm always tired, and there's just…the meds don't work like they should."

"I know, Craig. I'll get it all taken care of. Now go back to sleep and try not to think about… him," Joey said calmly.

"I always think about him when I'm in hospitals. He's the only person I'm able to think about in hospitals. He walked these same halls and rooms, touched the same things… it freaks me out just being here."

"Then don't fall asleep. Stay awake. We'll be leaving in a few more hours."

"I hate hospitals," Craig said flatly. "They're boring and depressing. Sort of like funerals."

THE NEXT DAY

Craig sat up on the couch where he'd been forced to sleep for the next six weeks. He had no access to his own bedroom because the only way to go up was the stairs, and stairs weren't exactly easy to use in a wheelchair. Maybe in crutches, but not wheelchairs. Why couldn't he have only broken one leg? Why two? Why did he have to fall down the stairs at all?

Taking the clothes off of the back of the couch where Joey had left them, Craig went into the downstairs bathroom to get dressed. He looked from his pants to his legs and said, "This could be a problem." He put his shirt on first… easy. No problems there. After a few minutes of attempts, he got his pants on, too. He missed not being able to wear shoes, but it didn't matter at this point. Craig came out of the bathroom and got his leather jacket off of a chair at the table, where he'd left it the day before he fell. "Ah. I'm feeling complete now," he muttered to himself. Joey came down the stairs, along with Angie and Caitlin. "Hello," Craig said, stretching his arms.

"Hello," everyone greeted in return.

"How'd you sleep last night, Craig?" asked Caitlin.

"Pretty bad," Craig said calmly. "This couch is old. I think it needs to make friends with the one in the garage."

Caitlin laughed. "Yeah. It's not the newest couch out there," she said.

Craig yawned. "I need to go back to bed," Craig muttered.

Joey responded, "You don't need to; you want to. You went to 'bed' early enough last night and woke up twenty minutes before school starts. I think you got enough sleep last night."

"It's those stupid pills, Joey. Maybe I'm not as 'unstable' as they say I am," Craig said simply. "Hurry up, Joey! I'm gonna be late for school!"

At Degrassi, Mr. Simpson's Homeroom

Even though Joey did his best to hurry up with coffee and breakfast, Craig was still ten minutes late for class. Everyone in the class watched as the door opened and Craig rolled in on his new wheelchair. "Wow, Craig. What'd you do this time?" Mr. Simpson said. The class stared at Craig. "Maybe you and Jimmy should start a club or something," Spinner said.

"Spinner," Paige said, turning to look at him, "shut up. It's not funny." Spinner's face turned red. Craig wheeled himself over to an empty spot next to Hazel and Paige.

"What did you do?" asked Hazel.

"Fell down the stairs. Broke both my legs. It was painful. By the time they let me out of the hospital yesterday, school was already over," Craig said quietly.

"Wow," said Paige. "Must've been fun for you."

"Oh, yeah, it was. Six hours in the hospital. Absolutely delightful," said Craig in the same sarcastic tone.

"You three, I know how very exciting it must be to talk about that sale at the mall last week, but stop talking," Mr. Simpson said, indicating Paige, Craig, and Hazel, who all laughed to themselves at his comment. "Sorry, Mr. Simpson," Craig said quietly.  
Mr. Simpson explained the assignment to the class. Then, almost an hour later, class was over. Craig talked to Jimmy after class. "Hey, man," said Jimmy. "What's up with the wheels? Break your legs? How long?"

Craig smiled. "Um… yeah, I broke my legs when I fell down the stairs. I'm only in the wheelchair for six weeks. Then I get walking casts. Ooh, wow," he said.

"You know," said Jimmy as they went down the hall. "Everyone keeps telling me, 'I know how you feel'. But they don't. They were never in a wheelchair. They were on crutches or sick in bed. This is different. But now, you know how I feel because you're in a wheelchair. So now you can say it."

"I know how you feel," Craig said.

"Good. See? And I know how you feel… actually, I can't really feel my legs. So…. Maybe I don't know how you feel. Whatever." They laughed and got their books from their lockers before going to English. In English, he noticed for the first time that day… Ashley wasn't at school. "That's weird," he said to himself.  
"What's weird?" asked Jimmy.

"Ashley's not here today. She almost never misses school."

"She's at the dentist," Jimmy said. "I heard her talking about it yesterday. And you."

"What?" Craig said.

"She was talking about the dentist yesterday. She also talked about you yesterday."

"What did she say?"

"She said that she didn't know where you were. And that she was going to probably talk to you when she got to see you."

"I don't want to talk to her," Craig said.

"Well, she wants to talk to you. Anyway, pay attention. We're gonna get busted."

Jimmy and Craig listened to the rest of whatever Ms. Kwan was saying.\

THE END…NOT

A/N: Okay, that's the end of part one. Part two, Ash and Craig talk about their relationship. Part three, Craig and Marco get in a fight. Part four, Craig goes to the streets. And I'm still writing part five. Read and Review. Rate on a scale of 1-10.


	2. AUTHOR'S NOTE SORRY

**Author's Note**

**YOU GUYS MIGHT HATE ME…**

**OKAY, THIS IS A FIC WITH A TWIST. WHEN CRAIG GOES ON THE STREETS, HE'S NOT ACTUALLY ON THE STREETS THE WHOLE TIME. HE'S ONLY OUT FOR LIKE, THREE WEEKS, I THINK… I HAVE IT WRITTEN DOWN SOMEWHERE. **

**ANYWAY, THIS IS CRAIG/ASHLEY. (SORRY FOR CRANNY/CRELLIE/CRAIGE/CREMMA/CRALEX, ETC.) BUT I TOTALLY SUPPORT CRASH. OKAY?**

**CRAIG'S DAD IS ALIVE. IN MY FIC. THAT'S WHY HE GOES TO THE STREETS. BECAUSE IN THE END OF 'TEARS ARE NOT ENOUGH', THE COPS COME AND SAY THAT HIS DAD IS DEAD. IN THIS STORY, HIS DAD WAS IN JAIL FOR TWO YEARS ON HIT AND RUN CHARGES THAT NIGHT, BUT JOEY LIED TO HIM AND SET UP THIS HUGE LIE, SO CRAIG GETS MAD AND RUNS AWAY. **

**P.S.: THIS IS SET AFTER "GOING DOWN THE ROAD". MMMKAY? EMAIL ME FOR QUESTIONS : **


	3. Part 2: Craig and Ashley

Part 2: Craig and Ashley get back together!

A/N: Sorry I didn't put this in the last chapter---it would've saved me the trouble, but… yeah. Thanks for your reviews.

Thursday Night, Dinner Table

Joey looked up from his food over at his stepson. "Craig, you've been quiet lately. Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, Joey, I'm fine. It's just this stupid wheelchair is annoying," Craig said, not looking at him. Joey continued looking at Craig, keeping a heavy silence until Craig looked up and said, "What? I'm fine!" Joey sighed heavily.

"Craig, you're not 'fine'. Something's bothering you. I understand if you don't want to talk about it now, but you have to talk about it eventually," he said calmly, looking back down at his food.

"So, Joey," Caitlin said suddenly. "I drove by the lot today and it looked busy; getting good business lately?"

"Oh, yeah," Joey said happily. "With all these kids getting their licenses now they're dying to get their own cars, so they come by my lot and get a car."

"Wow. Sounds great. Shouldn't Craig be getting his license sometime soon?" Caitlin asked.

"Uh… yeah, but he hasn't said much about it, though, so I'm not really sure if he even wants a license to drive," Joey said simply.

"I want my license, but I don't think they're really willing to let people in wheelchairs get a driver's license," Craig said, irritated.

"Craig, you've been in a wheelchair for about a day now. You are almost seventeen. You haven't talked about getting a license since you were fourteen. The wheelchair has nothing to do with it," Joey explained. Craig was getting annoyed with Joey and his lame explanations for everything, so he turned away from the table and wheeled himself over to his couch-bed and laid down, covering himself with the blanket. "Come on, Craig, don't act like that," Joey said, standing up and walking over to him.

"Act like what?" Craig demanded.

"I don't know… just… Craig, I'm trying to help you. I've tried to help you since the day I met you, since your mom died, since you moved in, when your dad died, and… Craig, I've always tried to help you. But it seems like every time I try, you get worse."

Craig looked up. "How do I get worse?" he said loudly.

"You just do. It's how you act, Craig. You stole a car from my lot. You cheated on your girlfriend, you thrashed a hotel room, and you yelled at one of your teachers and cut class. I want to help you but you're not working with me." Craig looked up at Joey.

"Okay, so, what? Are you gonna throw me out on the streets? Make me fend for myself? Leave my alone in the cold, cold world and let me die behind a building?" Craig shouted.

"You know I'd never do that. Where do you come up with these thoughts, Craig? All I'm saying is that if you want me to help you, you have to work with me, otherwise I have troubles helping. Okay?" Joey said coolly.

"Fine," Craig said irritably. He laid back down and turned away from Joey. "Now go away."

"Okay," Joey said, patting Craig's shoulder as he walked back the kitchen. "But we're still going to talk later."

Craig sighed and closed his eyes. It felt good to be under the warm blanket. He squirmed under the blanket to get more heat, but found none. "Joey!" he whined.

"Yes, Craig?" Joey called from the table.

"I'm cold, could you get me another blanket?" he cried.

Joey sighed and got up to go upstairs. He came back down and tossed a large, thick blanket on Craig. Craig gave a happy sigh and said, "Thanks, Joey." He was almost asleep, but an hour later, Joey sat down next to him on the couch. "Craig," he whispered.

"What?" Craig muttered, tired.

"Sorry I woke you up, but we need to talk," Joey said quietly.

Craig sighed and sat up. "Okay…let's talk so I can go back to bed," he said.

"I'll try and make it quick," Joey told Craig.

"So…what're we going to talk about?" Craig asked a few minutes later, breaking a silence.

"I needed to ask you what's been bothering you. You didn't eat any dinner and you keep on having these outbursts. I know it's partly because of your medications, but that can't be what's bothering you. Will you tell me?" Joey asked.

"It's not something I like to discuss, but I suppose I'm going to have to sometime."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Ever since the beginning of the summer, I haven't wanted to talk to anyone. Not even Jimmy. I don't know why, but I guess it's just that it's hard for me to keep talking to people who know everything about me, especially you. People at school know almost everything about me and it's irritating. It's always, 'Craig, did you take your meds today?' or 'Don't say that around him, he'll freak out'. I want to be who I was before any of this happened."

"Craig, you're not the one that changed. Maybe when they found out they didn't want to, as you said, 'freak out', because they don't know what to do when you do."

"Joey, I hate who I've been ever since I walked into the hospital and they told me I was insane."

"Craig, you're not insane."

"Bi-polar, insane. It's pretty much the same thing," Craig said simply.

"No, it's not. Insane means you have no control over what you do or think or say, regardless of medications. Bi-Polar is something you can control with medication."

Craig sighed, his eyes beginning to burn. "I don't want to be bi-polar. I want my old life back, Joey."

Joey thought for a minute before saying, "Which one, Craig? The one where you were happy with all your friends that were happy before the shooting? Or the life you had before you were bi-polar?"

"Joey, I don't really care. I want everyone to be happy. But I want to be happy, too. I wish that the shooting never happened. Jimmy wouldn't be in a wheelchair, and Sean never would've moved back with his parents, Emma would still be the same, Ellie wouldn't have a hatred for guys, I wouldn't think about seeing Jimmy almost dead on the floor, we'd still be friends with Spinner, and…I wish it never happened. I'd rather be bi-polar and be able to sleep at night without seeing one of my friend's bodies laying the floor. I hate taking medication, but I hate seeing Jimmy in a wheelchair, and Emma having an STD, not seeing Sean, and just…everything that happened because of Rick. Actually, it's more like Jay, but…that doesn't matter. I want things to be the way they were before the shooting." Craig buried his face in his hands and sighed heavily. The shooting was the last thing he wanted to remember. Joey rubbed his back with one hand.

Joey hugged Craig and Craig hugged him back. He finally fell asleep and Joey covered him up with the two blankets. "Goodnight, Craig," he muttered.

Craig turned in his sleep, but didn't say anything.

The Next Day

Craig went to school, rolling himself there all alone. He met Jimmy at his locker, and he went to class with him. On his way there, he caught a glimpse of Ashley standing with Ellie. She stared at him, but didn't say anything. He gave Ashley a painful look as he passed her, but, as she did, said nothing.

After class, he had to go to English, one of two classes he shared with Ashley. He dreaded seeing her. He didn't want to talk to her, especially not since his only, favorite, Hendrix guitar was stolen because of her. It was one of the things he hated her for.

He'd spent a lot of money on that guitar, and he wished that he hadn't taken it from home.

But, he did, and it was stolen. So, now he was out of a guitar.

Playing guitar was his passion, but he could play ever other instrument, but guitar was his favorite. It sounded better.

In English, he sat as far away from Ashley as he could, which wasn't very far at all. He looked over at her constantly, and every time, she was looking at him. He tried to pay attention, but he couldn't. Craig sighed heavily. He raised his hand. "Ms. Kwan, can I move?" he asked. She thought for a second and said, "Yes, Craig. Do it quickly."

Craig nodded and moved his wheelchair against the back wall. He sat in silence for the rest of the class. He met up with Jimmy again after class. "Man, why'd you move?" he asked as they went down the hall.

"Ash kept staring at me. It was creepy. She probably doesn't even care that I'm in a wheelchair."

"Craig, Ash cares about you. She was upset when you didn't show up for school on Monday. But… you still like her, don't you?"

"I sort of have mixed feelings for her. One part of me wants to kill her for making me lose my guitar, and another part wants to make out with her every time I see her. It's weird."

"Well, let's put it this way------would you hide in a boiler room if your guitar went somewhere? You know, like you did when Ash went to England?" Jimmy asked.

"Probably not."

"Exactly. Ash means more to you than the guitar did. See you after class."  
"Later, Jimmy," Craig said. Craig thought about what Jimmy said, barely listening to his science teacher.

Did he really still love Ash? Did he really want her more than his guitar? He looked over at Ashley, who was sitting over with some girl whom he'd never bothered to remember her name. About forty-five minutes later, the bell rang. Craig was still staring at Ashley. Someone came up behind him and said, "Class is over." Craig looked up and saw everyone leaving the room. He picked up his notebook rolled out.

At Lunch

Craig sat with Marco, Ellie, Jimmy, and, to his misfortune, Ashley. He said nothing the entire time, afraid that Ash would find some way of talking to him or asking him a question that he'd have to answer. He took a drink of water and sighed. "Craig," Ellie said. "It must really suck being in a wheelchair with two broken legs."

Craig looked up, knowing he'd have to answer Ellie. "Yeah, it does," he said quietly. He looked back down at his hands. "You know what? I'm not hungry all of a sudden," Craig muttered before turning his wheelchair to leave. He rolled around the tables and went outside in front of the school. He picked himself up out of the wheelchair and sat on the picnic table on the side of the steps.

He buried his head in his hands and sighed. He turned and rested his head on the table. He heard footsteps coming toward him, but didn't think anything of it until—

"Craig, are you okay?" Craig heard a girl's voice and felt her hand on his back. He looked up.

"I'm fine," he lied. He was about to sit back in his wheelchair when Ashley touched his shoulder.

"Craig, wait. Look, I'm sorry about what happened. I need to know what's wrong," she said calmly.

"Ash," he began. "You shouldn't be talking to me. Your mom might see."

"Craig, I don't even care what my mom sees. She could walk in on me making out with you; I'm not going to stop seeing you just because she's a psychotic control freak."

Craig looked over at Ashley, smirking at what she'd just said about her own mother, whom she was usually respectful to. He sat back up on the picnic table. "How've you been?" she asked softly, sitting closer to him.

"I've been okay, I guess. I mean, being in this wheelchair isn't the greatest thing ever, and I'm not sure that my meds are working right, but… other than that, I'm fine."

"Craig, why didn't you finish your lunch?" she asked.

"Because I wasn't hungry," Craig said simply.

"I know you better than that. Why didn't you eat? It was because of me, wasn't it?" she said.

"Yeah. But you didn't really do anything wrong. I just haven't really felt like talking to anyone about anything."

Ashley looked at Craig.  
"Oh," said Ashley. "I can see why."

"Yeah… I should probably be going to class."

"Craig!" Ashley said loudly. Craig turned around. "I don't want us to be doing this."

"Doing what?" Craig asked.

"Being apart." Ashley looked sadly at Craig. Craig sighed.

"Ash, you're the one that did this to us. Not me. It's your fault we're apart."

"I know, Craig. But it was a mistake."

"Ash, I thought I was never going to see you again. And after I went back to Joey, I had to go to a therapist every day for a month. And then I finally got over you. And then I see you again here and I fall in love with you all over again." Ashley stared at Craig for a minute.

"Wait," she said. "You mean, you're still in love with me? After all this time, you're still in love with me?"

"Ash, I've been in love with you since I was fourteen. That may sound strange to you, but it's just the way it's been."

"Craig, I want to be with you."

"What, so you can go back to England and get another guitar stolen?" Craig said rudely.

"Whatever it takes to get you to come back."

Craig sat on the picnic table again. "Ash, I've wanted to be with you every day since you left."

"So why won't you be with me now?" she asked sadly.

"Are you freakin' insane? I am with you right now. And I wouldn't want it any other way." Craig kissed Ashley, and it was the best either of them had felt since the beginning of that summer. They made out on the picnic table until Marco came out and said, "Hey, you two! That's all very nice, but I think it's time for class."

The two blushed. Craig sat down in his wheelchair, and he went with Ashley to class. They separated as Ashley went to her own class, and Craig went to his. "Bye, Ash," he said.

"Bye, Craig."

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A/N: HAHA! That's not going to be THE longest chapter in this thing, because part 4 is actually going to be pretty long. Part 3 will be kind of short, though. You know, it took me 3 ½ hours to write this? Yeah, I was keeping track. Okay, R&R. Love y'all. Later.


	4. Part 3: Craig and Marco Fight!

Part 3: Craig and Marco get in a fight!

A/N: Okay, in this one, Marco has been seeking therapy for his homosexuality, and now he's bisexual (for those who know not what that means: likes guys and girls). Okay? So… yeah.

1 ½ months later

Marco walked out of the therapist's office. He'd been going for six months, and now, his parents weren't going to pay for more therapy. Not that he needed anymore. He couldn't wait to tell Ellie, his best female friend. He wasn't 'gay' anymore. He was now a bisexual. So he could like Ellie again. He wasn't sure how, but since he'd started seeing Dr. Listavoch, he'd started liking girls more. He still liked guys, like Dylan, but now he found Ellie attractive in a different way. He was going to challenge himself at school the next day.

the next day

Marco strolled down the halls of Degrassi. He'd felt better since yesterday, his last day of therapy. He walked up to Ellie. "Guess what, Ellie?" he said excitedly. Ellie flipped her red hair over her shoulder.

"What, Marco?" Ellie asked, pulling a book out from her locker and holding it with her binder. Marco smiled.

"I'm not gay anymore," Marco said. Ellie looked up at Marco and sighed. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Marco, you told me this years ago. You've been gay since grade nine. You can't just stop being gay."

"Well, you know that doctor I've been seeing twice a week for six months?" Marco said cutely.

"Um… yeah," Ellie said, shutting her locker and walking down the hall with Marco.

"He helped me… like girls, too. I still like guys, though."

"Okay," Ellie said. "Enough joking around. What's the big surprise?"

"That was the big surprise. I'm bisexual now, Ellie."

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that again," Ellie said coolly, stopping in the hall. Marco turned and looked into her eyes.

"I'm bisexual now," he said slowly. Ellie smiled softly and put a hand on Marco's shoulder.

"That's great, Marco. I'm really happy for you," she said.

"So, Ellie, I was thinking maybe we could go see a movie sometime," Marco said quickly.

"Marco, are you asking me out?" Ellie asked, her smile fading.

"Um… yeah, I think so," Marco said, pondering the thought of asking a girl out.

"I can't. After Sean left… I don't think I'm ready for another relationship just yet. But I'd love to go see a movie… as friends."

Marco smiled. "Sure, Ellie. Just as friends," he said. Ellie hugged Marco and then they went to class. Marco sat in front of a computer. Spinner leaned over and whispered to Marco, "Hey, I heard you're not gay anymore."

Marco nodded. "Yeah," said Marco. "Wherever you heard that from, they're right."

"Well, I also heard that Ellie turned you down," Spinner continued.

"You also heard right. But we're going to the movies as friends." Marco was trying to listen to Mr. Simpson.

"Okay," Spinner said. "I have a challenge for you, then."

"What kind of challenge?" Marco muttered.

"If you want to go out with a girl, ask out… Ashley Kerwin," Spinner said quietly, grinning.

"I can't, she's with---" Marco began. Spinner cut him off.

"I know she's with Craig, but Craig's at the doctor's getting his casts off today. If you hit on her today, then she'll forget all about it by tomorrow," Spinner assured Marco.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Spinner said.

"So----"

"That's all very nice, you guys, but frankly, I don't care. I hope you caught the assignment because I'm not going to repeat it for you," Mr. Simpson said loudly.

Marco and Spinner sighed in irritation. Marco glared at Spinner, wishing he'd never brought it up.

Fifty minutes later, the bell rang, releasing the students from class.

Spinner walked alongside Marco through the halls. Spinner pointed straight ahead. "There she is," Spinner said, pointing to Ashley standing at her locker. "Now go to her, Marco."

"I don't know about this, Spin," Marco said quietly.

"Go ahead. I'll give you… twenty bucks, that's all I have."

Marco held his hand out and got the money from Spinner before sighing and walking towards Ashley.

"Hey, Ash," Marco said coolly.

"Hey, Marco," Ashley said, preoccupied with organizing the inside of her locker.

"What are you doing after school today?" Marco asked hopefully.

"I'm probably going over to Craig's to check out his guitar," Ashley said simply.

Marco sighed. "Oh," he said. "Because I was kind of hoping you could come over to my place…" Marco's voice trailed off as his arm went slowly around Ashley's waist.

"Marco, what are you doing?" Ashley said blankly. She stared down at Marco's arm, which went up around her shoulders and down to her chest.

"Marco! Stop it!" Ashley screamed. She pushed him away, almost making him fall. Marco ran down the hall to class, leaving the people in the halls to stare at Ashley. She slammed her locker shut and stormed to class. As she walked slowly in to science class, she wished Craig had been there so she wouldn't have nearly been molested by Marco. 'I thought he was gay…?' she thought to herself. Class went slowly, and she almost wished that the school burnt down so that she could leave.

After Third Period

Ashley walked alone down the hall on her way to her next class. She walked past the school's entrance, and the doors opened. She couldn't help but look up, and she was overexcited at who walked in. She ran over. "Craig, you're here! And you're walking again!" she squealed.

"Yeah," Craig said. "But it's kind of hard." They laughed, and Ashley sighed.

"This day's going to go so much faster with you here," she said. "Science was SO boring!"

The two went to English together, and sat next to each other.

"Craig," Ashley whispered while they were writing. "Marco was hitting on me and touched me."

Craig looked up. "Touched you? Like, how touched you?" he said.

"Like, waist and chest touched me," she muttered.

"Oh, really? Marco's face isn't going to look so 'adorable' to anyone anymore," Craig said, silencing after that and continuing to write. Ashley worried about what Craig was going to do to Marco, somewhat already guessing.

When the bell rang, Craig picked up all of his stuff and jogged out of class. "Craig, what are you going to do?" Ashley asked worriedly.

"I'm going to kick Marco's ass," Craig answered casually.

"Craig, come on, it's okay, you don't have to," Ashley said.

"Yes, Ashley," Craig said. "I do have to. If Marco's so cool, then he can go hit on Paige or something. Just not you."

Finally, Craig found Marco. "Hey, Marco," Craig said coolly.

"Hey, Craig, I thought you were at the doctor's getting your casts off today," Marco said.  
"Yeah, and I thought you were gay. So why are you hitting on my girlfriend?" he demanded.

"Look, Craig, I just----Spinner was---" Marco stammered.

"Yeah, you know what, Marco, I don't care what Spinner was doing. I care what you were doing. What are you thinking when you touch a girl that's dating someone? Seriously, Marco? What?" Craig said, almost shouting.

"Craig, we can talk about this later, I have to----" Marco began. He was silenced when Craig punched him in the face. Marco's nose began bleeding.

What Craig hadn't been expecting was Marco to hit back. Twice. Craig didn't know what it was, but both times he got punched, his face had started bleeding heavily. So, he hit Marco back twice as many times. Marco used his knuckle to hit Craig directly in the eye, half-blinding him. Craig hit Marco in the jaw several more times, and then kicked him in the knee. Hitting like this went on for about thirty more seconds, until Ashley got between the two, almost getting hit herself. She gently pushed Craig back, separating him from Marco. Craig sighed, stepping back willingly.

She made him lean against the wall, and examined his face. His face was bleeding badly, his left eye was swollen shut, and his lip was swollen. "Did you take the medication today?" Ashley asked quietly.

"Yeah," Craig muttered. He wasn't going to try lying to Ashley.

"Okay," Ashley said, trying to be calm. "I believe you." She hugged Craig supportively, however, not wanting to stain her jacket, pulled back. Mr. Simpson suddenly ran up to them. "Craig! What were you and Marco just doing?" he shouted. It wasn't really a question. Craig sighed.

Two minutes later, he was in the office, with Mr. Simpson standing in front of him. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the nurse?" he asked.

Craig nodded. "I wanna go home," he whispered. He used the sleeve of his old black sweatshirt to stop the bleeding on one side of his face. "I called Joey, he's on his way," Mr. Simpson said about thirty seconds later.

"Craig, I need to impress on you the seriousness of violence in school. You remember what happened last year. We don't need something like that started up again." Craig looked up, glaring.

"Yeah, I do remember what happened last year. But I'm not like Rick. I'm not going to come to school with a gun and shoot people, especially not myself," he said angrily.

"I thought we talked about this. We're not going to talk about Rick anymore."

"Good!" Craig said loudly. "Nobody wants to talk about Rick! He was insane and he should be the one taking medications!" The two were quiet for the next ten minutes, until Joey walked in. Craig put his hood up and hid his face from Joey.

"Snake, what's wrong with Craig?" Joey asked quickly.

"Craig and Marco were fighting. In the hallway. Marco doesn't look too bad, but Craig…" his voice trailed off and he whispered something to Joey that Craig couldn't hear, then said, "Craig's suspended from school for three days."

"Come on, Craig," Joey said, irritated. Craig sighed loudly and followed Joey out to his red car. Climbing into the passenger seat, Craig slammed the door and neglected putting his seatbelt on. He leaned over in the seat, still not letting Joey see his face. Craig heard Joey yelling at him, but ignored it all, not caring if he was going to get in any more trouble than he was already in.

Pulling into the driveway, Craig got out of the car first and ran inside the house, up to his room. He almost tripped because he wasn't used to walking. Joey got inside and closed the door. "Craig!" he shouted. "Get down here!" Craig slammed his bedroom door shut and laid on his bed. He faced away from the door. Joey stormed upstairs and opened the door to Craig's small room. He stopped when he saw Craig simply lying on the bed. He walked quietly over to the bed and sat behind Craig.

"Craig," he began. "I don't know what happened today. Just don't let it happen again." Craig was still silent, and wanted to keep it that way. Too bad Joey didn't agree with that. Would you sit up?" he asked calmly. Craig didn't move. "Craig, I'm being serious. Get up." Still, he didn't move.

"You're not in trouble. I need to see your face," he said quietly. Craig finally turned and sat up. He uncovered his face. What Joey saw shocked him. "Caitlin!" he shouted suddenly, startling Craig. Craig wondered why Caitlin was never at work or something. She just lounged around the house doing absolutely nothing while poor Joey was at the car lot trying to make a living for the four of them.

Caitlin appeared in the doorway. "Yeah, Joey?" she said.

"Would you get a washcloth and some Band-Aids?" Joey asked. Caitlin didn't ask any questions.

"Yeah," Caitlin said, running out of the room to the bathroom downstairs. She returned a minute later with said items. She handed them to Joey and sat on the bed. Craig was quiet as several scars were cleaned. "Hmmm," Joey said. "I don't think Band-Aids are going to help us this time." He cleaned the blood around the wounds and said, "Craig, I think you're going to need stitches."

Craig sighed. "That means I have to go to the hospital," he muttered. "I hate the hospital." Joey smiled softly. "I know you do, Craig," he said. "But it's our only other option." Craig scoffed.

"The hospital's always the other option." Craig looked up at Joey and said, "I like it here." Joey looked at Craig, trying to find a meaning for what he was talking about. "I like it here, too, Craig," he said.

"I mean that I really like living here. I don't want to have to leave," Craig mumbled quietly.

"I'd never make you leave here, Craig. Never. You're important to all of us and I'd be crushed if you left."

"I…it…Joey, you're the best dad I ever had. I mean, really, ever. When I met you when you were with my mom, I knew I liked you better than my real father. You're the greatest person I've ever met. You let me live in your house and eat your food and no matter how much I get in trouble at school or get sick or mess up and do something stupid, you don't make me leave. You are the greatest person ever, Joey. And I keep thinking that sometime I'm going to screw up so bad that I'm going to have to move out or live on the streets or something. But then you tell me you'd never do that and I believe you. You're the only person I feel like I can trust."

Joey nodded slowly. "I think we need to get you to the hospital," he whispered.

"Okay," Craig said quietly, standing up with the help of Joey.

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A/N: Okay! That's the end of part 3. Part 4: Craig goes to the streets. Not AS pathetic as it sounds. He's not actually on the streets the whole time. He finds help with his friends and stuff. Um…answer to HelloGoodBye123: Craig overheard it from a convo between Joey and Snake. In this story, anyway. It just doesn't say that. Mmmkay? So… yeah. Part 4 probably isn't going to be AS long, but there's going to be like, five parts of Part 4 because there's a lot of stuff that happens in that part. Suggestions? TELL ME! (CrAsh ONLY)


	5. Part 4A: You Lied to Me?

Part 4: "You Lied To Me?"

A/N: Lalala. This is the one that a lot of you have been waiting for. I've kind of been putting off writing it for a while, but, alas, here it is. In Part 4-A, Craig finds out that Joey's been lying to him about his dad for two years…

Craig Manning rolled over in bed. It had been just yesterday when he'd been suspended for three days for getting in a fight with Marco. It was so unlike Marco to hit back. So unlike him. But, there it stood. His eye was still bruised and somewhat swollen. He'd gotten more than twenty stitches on his face; Marco was wearing a ring when he hit him in the face.

Rolling off the bed, Craig crawled down the hallway, into the bathroom. He propped himself up against the bathroom sink, staring at his reflection. He looked almost as bad as he felt. For some reason, he was exhausted from yesterday. He had a headache, and felt sick.

Craig fell to his knees in front of the toilet, and vomited into the porcelain bowl. The first feeling made him sick again, and he vomited about four more times. Joey knocked on the door. "Craig! Are you okay?" he asked.

Stammering for words, Craig said, "Uh…yeah, Joey. I think I'm gonna live." Craig heard Joey sigh, and then leave. 'He should be at work,' he thought. Craig rolled over onto his stomach, lying on the plastic bathroom tile. He rested his head on the floor, feeling the coolness.

About a half-hour later, Craig stumbled upward, and almost falling down the stairs as he went to the kitchen to get water. He drank most of the water, and then suddenly dropped the glass. He stumbled and leaned against the counter. Slowly, he breathed. In, out. In, out.

"Maybe I should just go back to bed," he muttered to himself. Just as he reached the stairs someone knocked on the door. He moaned loudly, and then went to the door.

He opened it. "Ash? What are you doing here? You should be…at…" he coughed heavily, and then spoke. "You should be at school."

Ashley walked inside and closed the door. "I know, Craig," she said. "But I had to come see you."

"Well, thanks. But I'm fine…I think," Craig mumbled.

"I want to make sure you're going to be okay."

"Alright, Ash, you're the boss." Ashley smiled in satisfaction. She pushed Craig up against the door. Silently, Craig wondered where Caitlin was. Then, he remembered her saying last night that she was going for a job interview. Ashley ran her hand over Craig's cheek, over the stitches.

Craig winced. "Sorry," Ashley whispered calmly. Craig nodded. "You look bad. You sound bad."

"I've been up for about forty-five minutes," he said simply.

"I think you need to go back up to bed," Ashley ordered.

"I was just about to go to bed when you got here," Craig said flatly, almost too tired to talk at all.

"I'm sorry! Here, let's take you upstairs…" Ashley said soothingly, leading Craig up to his bedroom. There, she laid him down. "Are you too hot? Too cold?"

"Too hot!" Craig cried.

"I'll be right back," Ashley said, before disappearing from the room. She came back with two cold gel packs that she'd found in the freezer three weeks before in a search for ice. She placed one on his forehead and one under his shirt on his chest. He shuddered, but then sighed in relief.

"Thanks, Ash," Craig said softly, closing his eyes.

Ashley pulled a thin blanket over Craig. He smiled weakly, and then yawned. He put one arm on his stomach, and another he left on the side. Ashley sat next to him on the bed and ran her hand through his hair calmly. Eventually, she laid down next to him and fell asleep.

They must have been sleeping for quite a while, because Joey came home at around four. He went into Craig's room, and hissed, "Ashley! Ashley!" Slowly, Ashley woke up and realized what was going on. She sat up calmly. "We didn't do anything," she said quickly.

"It's okay," Joey said simply. "Did you skip school and stay here all day?" Ashley blushed and nodded. She was surprised when the scolding she was expecting from Joey never came. He just smiled. "I think you should get home. Your mom's probably wondering where you are."

Ashley nodded. She got off the bed and went over to the other side. She leaned over Craig. "Craig, I have to go," she whispered. Craig moaned.

"I'm sorry…I'll call you, okay?" Ashley said quietly. Craig nodded. She kissed him softly before saying, "I love you, Craig." And then she left.

Monday

Today was a horrible day for Craig Manning. Today was the day he had to face Marco for the first time since Tuesday. Great. He didn't get his stitches out until the next day, but figured it would be okay to go around school with twenty-three stitches for only one day.

Joey offered to drive him to school, and he accepted.

When Craig got to Degrassi, his stomach lurched. "Bye, Joey," he muttered. He walked slowly up the steps, trying to ignore the looks he was getting from everyone. He ran to his locker, got his stuff, and closed the locker. He turned his head, and saw Marco walking his way. His face was lightly bruised, nothing compared to what Craig looked like. Of course, Craig hadn't been wearing a ring, either.

Not even bothering to lock his locker, he walked quickly the other way. "Craig! Craig!" Marco shouted.

Craig ignored him.

"Craig! Come on!" he shouted again. "I didn't mean to!" Craig stopped abruptly.

"Didn't mean to what, Marco? Didn't mean to hit me? Didn't mean to hit on my girlfriend? Didn't mean for me to get stitches? Didn't mean to have all these people staring at me because I look like some kind of freak? What, Marco? What didn't you mean to do?" Craig didn't wait for an answer, but simply ran to Mr. Simpson's class. He got a seat at the back of the room.

When the bell rang, and everyone sat down, Marco sat next to Spinner. "Thanks, Spinner. I never should've listened to you. Now Craig's mad at me. I tried to give you a second chance after everything that happened with Jimmy, but I guess people like you don't deserve second chances, right?" he said angrily.

After class, Marco tried talking to Craig, who still ignored him. Ellie put a hand on his arm. "Give it time, Marco," she said. "He got hurt a little bit more than stitches could fix in that fight." Marco thought about what Ellie said, and watched as Craig and Ashley talked at his locker.

"She's the only one that talks to him," Marco whispered.  
"What?" Ellie said, confused.

"Ash. She's the only one that talks to him… because she's the only one who wants to."

Ellie stood, confused, and went to her next class when the bell rang.

Marco sat with Ellie, Ashley, and Jimmy at the lunch table. He leaned over to Ashley and said, "Where's Craig?" Ashley had a small intake of breath before she answered.

"He wasn't feeling well. He went to go see the nurse," she said smoothly. Marco nodded in understanding.

When the final bell finally rang, Craig looked from Mr. Simpson's classroom window to make sure that Marco was gone before he left himself. "Spying on someone, Craig?" Mr. Simpson's voice came from behind him quickly.

"You could say that," Craig answered.

"Well hurry up, I'm leaving early today," Mr. Simpson said happily.

"I'll leave when Marco does," muttered Craig. He sighed in satisfaction when he saw Marco walk down in one direction of the street. Then, he exited the school, making sure the door didn't make too much noise, as he didn't want Marco to hear if it did. It might draw attention.

Finally, he got home. Surprisingly, Joey was there. Usually, it would take him about two to five more hours to get home from the car lot.

"Craig, the doctor called," he said, as soon as he walked in the door.

"Which one? The therapist? The pharmacist guy? Or the one that put my stitches in last week?" Craig said loudly.

"The one that put your stitches in last week. He says that he's going on vacation tomorrow, so we have to go in and have your stitches taken out today instead of tomorrow."

"Okay," Craig said simply. So, they went to get Craig's stitches taken out. It hurt a little bit, because the doctor had to dig this metal thing into the wound to get the stitches out. But, in the end, it looked better.

No more stitches, just scars.

When they got back from the doctor, Craig went up to bed. Joey went up to Craig's room and sat next to him on the bed. "Craig, are you okay?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, why?" Craig said lamely.

"I know that something's up with the meds, and I'll get it checked out, but it's not the meds that's the only problem."

"Yes, okay, Joey! I get it! You think I'm insane! Okay? Happy now? Good! Leave me alone!" Craig shouted.

"No, Craig, I don't think you're insane. And I'm not going to leave you alone. What's wrong? I want to help you."

Craig sat up slowly. "I don't want you to help me. Nobody can help me. Nobody ever will."

"Craig, I'd help you, but you're working against it." Craig was silent for about five minutes.

"Joey, you know when me and….Marco got in the fight? I almost hit Ashley. She came between me and Marco and I almost hit her. I was going to push her and keep fighting with Marco. But it took me a minute to realize that I was bleeding, and Marco wasn't. Everyone acts like Marco's cool and he's 'in'. Just because he was wearing the ring. So it made me look weaker. I'm weaker. Weaker than Marco. Haha. Hearing it makes me laugh. I was always stronger than Marco. He wasn't supposed to hit me back. But he did. And now I'm weaker than he is."

"He doesn't have to go through as much as you do."

"So? Is there a point to your statement?" Craig said, looking away from Joey and laying back down.

"Yeah, there is. You're not weaker than Marco. You've had to put up with a lot more than Marco ever has."

"I'm tired, Joey. I'm tired of everything. You know, when Ash came over last week, I was sick as hell. I could barely walk, I couldn't eat anything, and I threw up. I don't even know why."

"People get sick."

"I'm more than sick, Joey. I'm psychotic. I need to spend the rest of my life in a mental institute."

"Is that what you want?"

"No, but it's not like I want to take medications. I still 'need' them."

Joey talked endlessly about the importance of the medications until Craig fell asleep.

The Next Day

Joey, Craig, and Caitlin were sitting on the couch watching the morning news. Angie was sitting on the arm of the couch, saying, "Why do we have to watch the stupid old news?"

So far, the weather was supposed to be partly cloudy for the rest of the week. Craig was about to turn the TV off when----

"In other news, Albert Manning, the man charged over two years ago with the hit and run of a Toronto woman was released yesterday afternoon…"

The words went through Craig's head a million times. He kneeled down in front of the TV screen. He stared at the picture. He stood up, stumbled to the kitchen, and vomited in the sink. Fortunately, the sink was empty. He ran the water and rinsed out the sink. He stared back at the TV screen, then over to Joey, who had buried his face in his hands.

"How—why would---I trusted you…I believe everything you say, and…you lied to me?" Craig said.

"Craig, come on!" Joey shouted.

"I have to go to school," Craig said before running out the door.

A/N: Okay, so, there you go. Part 4-A. Part 4-B will be the search for Albert Manning! Yay! Okay, read, review, rate 1-10. Love, me.


	6. Part 4B: The Search For Albert Manning

Part 4: The Search for Albert Manning

A/N: In Part 4-B, Craig finds a home in the streets while he searches for his father…

Craig ran far away from Joey's. He was not going to stay there with him. Fortunately, he had his cell phone so he could make phone calls if he needed to. He stopped when he got behind The Dot. He leaned against the wall and breathed heavily for about a minute, and then his breathing settled.

Someone rounded the corner, obviously following him. It was Jay.

"What're you running from?" Jay asked suspiciously. 'As if you care,' Craig thought coldly.

"Why aren't you in school?" Craig shot back.

"I was on my way there, and then I saw you running, and followed you here in the car. Again, what are you running from?" Jay said, his voice louder this time.

"It was…my…my stepdad…when I was fourteen…my dad died…" Craig said slowly, trying to find the right words.

"Yeah, we all know that. So you're running because…?"

"My dad's not dead. He was…in…jail the whole time…and Joey…he lied to me…" Craig thought about the words again and shook his head. He turned away from Jay and left. Jay shrugged the matter off and went to school.

Meanwhile, Craig was busy searching for his father's house. The old one had been sold, and he had no idea where his father would be living now. He wasn't sure what he would do when he found him, or if he even wanted to see him, but he had to get away from Joey. Right now, Craig wasn't even sure _how_ to find him.

It was hours before Craig thought of a way to find his father, and he was sitting behind the café the entire time. He had just acted like he'd left until Jay went back to his car, and then he sat back down on the wall.

Sighing, Craig went to the hospital. He walked in through the front doors, and approached the nurse that had been good friends with his father. "Where's my dad?" he demanded.

"Craig, you know that your father—" the nurse began.

"NO! He's alive, and we both know it. Don't feed me this crap, lady. Tell me where he is." Craig gave the woman a death glare until she answered. Sighing, she said,

"He lives about two miles away from here. In an apartment." The woman gave Craig the directions and the address, and sent him on his way.

There was a knock on the door of Joey Jeremiah's house. Joey answered, as he had decided to skip work that day. He was under too much stress. It was Ashley. "Is Craig here?" she asked.

"No," Joey said. "He's not home from school yet."

"Home _from_ school? He wasn't _at_ school today. That's why I'm here." Joey closed his eyes and imagined the worst case scenario. Craig had told Joey that he wasn't going to run away again, and here he goes running off. He began breathing unsteadily. "Is something wrong?" Ashley asked in a worried voice.

"Craig ran away. He's gone."

"What?" Ashley screamed. "No…no…he wouldn't…he doesn't…" Then she fell onto her knees and broke down. Joey took her to the couch and put a blanket around her shoulders before he left to try and find him. Ashley stopped crying for a minute or two and ran up to Craig's room and fell asleep on his bed.

Half a block to the apartment building, Craig heard his cell phone ringing. He looked at the name. 'Joey'….

He had unexplainable feelings toward Joey right now, but he answered the call for some unknown reason. "What?" he shouted.

"Craig! Where are you?" Joey said loudly.

"I'm in Toronto, why?" Craig said.

"I kind of figured you were in Toronto. WHERE?" Joey almost shouted.

"I'm going to my dad's. It's none of your business where he lives."

"I hope you know what kind of damage this is putting on everyone."

"Like who? You? Poor lying sack of crap Joey."

"Like Ashley. She's at our house crying because you left and she's worried about you."

"Why is she…Joey, why'd you call?" Craig asked.

"Because I want you to come back."

"Well I don't feel like coming back to someone I can't trust." And then, Craig hung up. He told the man standing outside the apartment that he was there to see his father.

Craig went up about four stories in the building. He stopped at the fifth floor and went about four feet before found the room. The number 4 was all that was on the door. He looked up and down the hall and found no other doors. "He must live on this entire floor," Craig muttered to himself before knocking. He put his finger over the glass hole in the door.

A minute later, the door opened. His father stood before him. He looked a little older, hadn't shaved in a while, had more wrinkles and his hair was a bit grayer. But other than that, he looked the same.

"Craig," said Albert in almost a whisper. They both stood there staring at each other.

Albert let Craig in, and told him there were two bedrooms in this huge apartment.

In the second bedroom, there was only a couch and a TV. A small window sat on the right side of the room, and the plain white, plush carpet was all that was on the floor. Basically, it was empty. He sat on the couch and turned the TV on. He wondered as he flipped through the channels how he had the apartment immediately after getting out of jail. Then, he remembered the nurse. She'd probably taken care of things for his father.

Probably found the apartment complex, told him how much it would cost a month, etc. And then, when he got out, he probably just came and lived here. He also wondered if his father had a job.

"Craig," Albert said, popping his head in to the room. "I'm going to the store. D'you need anything?"

Craig shook his head. Albert left.

Craig laid back on the couch and turned off the TV. Nothing on, anyway. He reached in his pocket and took his cell phone out. He text messaged Ashley, who was still asleep on his bed at Joey's.

Back in Craig's room, where Ashley was sleeping, a cell phone beeped. Ashley moaned and picked up her phone. "1 Message Received" was all the screen said, other than the little envelope picture next the words.

Ashley was in no hurry to check her text messages. She pressed 'Inbox', and read the message.

"A, I'm sorry I left. I love you and I'll talk to you soon. Love C". She smiled softly at the message. He'd even taken the extra time to put capital letters and proper grammar in to it. Usually, he'd be lazy and put in 'A-srry i left i luv u and ill ttys luv c". But not today. She felt a little bit better that he'd contacted her, but she wanted to actually talk to him.

Several hours later, Craig woke up and realized he'd been asleep for a while. The only thing he knew was that he was sleeping on someone's couch. He ran to the window and saw several other buildings. Then it all came back to him—the news, Jay, the nurse, the apartment, his father…he hadn't been dreaming. It was so strange for him to not know exactly where he was when he woke up. He'd woken up on the floor in the bathroom and was staring at the wall when he woke up and forgot where he was for about a second. Why he'd been sleeping on the bathroom floor still remained a mystery to him, but…

He walked out of the small room and into the empty living room. Craig went to the kitchen and got some water. He drank about half the glass and then sat it down in the sink. Thinking about it, he filled it back to the top and took it back to the room, setting it on the window sill. He could've left whenever he wanted to, regardless of how lonely he was, but he didn't. He didn't feel like going out on the streets right now.

He fell back asleep on the couch, this time watching TV. He slept until his cell phone rang. Again, Joey. He answered it. "What do you want, Joey?" he said loudly, annoyed that he'd woken him up.

"Craig, I want to talk to you," Joey said flatly.

"About what? About how you set up my dad's death? The funeral, the police, the… where'd the ten-thousand dollars come from?" Craig asked, forgetting about everything else.

"Your father wanted you to have it before he went to jail."

"Oh. Well, then," said Craig, not knowing what to say to that.

"Craig, you know what happened last time you almost went back to him… he'll do it again," Joey muttered.

"He's different, now, Joey. He's not going to do anything. And if he does… I'll leave."

"Where are you going to go?" Joey asked.

Craig paused and hesitated before sighing and saying, "I don't know. I'll figure it out IF and when it happens." He hung up after a few minutes of arguing with Joey. Something inside him told him that Joey was right, but he ignored the feeling and sat around the apartment, bored.

Yes… that was Part 4-B. Heeheehee. Took me like, a week to write. People aren't reviewing. What's up with that? You could email me… but that wouldn't be AS fun, right? Rate the story altogether… there's like, 700 views of this story..


	7. Part 4C: Oops! He Did It Again

Part 4-C: Oops, He Did It Again

Finally, his father came back from the store. It had been hours since he left. His father came up and said, "Craig, could you go out to the car and help me with this stuff?"

"Yeah," Craig said, rolling off the couch where he'd been watching TV. He put his shoes on and went out to the car, a black Mercedes-Benz with tinted windows. It was shiny and new. He was still amazed at the car, as it must have cost a ton.

He opened the door and took several large bags of stuff from the seats and carried them up to the apartment. Craig went back to the car a second time, and got the last few bags, lightly closing the door. He sighed when he finally got it all upstairs. Closing the door, he saw that there were at least twenty bags of miscellaneous items. "What is all this stuff?" Craig asked. He wondered how he could fit all of those bags into the car.

"It's clothes for you, blankets, pillows, food, DVDs, CDs, and… well, you can go through it," his father answered.

Craig shrugged and went through all of the bags. In one, he found a lot of shirts like the ones Jimmy wore. He also found about seven pairs of shoes, ten pairs of jeans, and two sweatshirts. One was black, and the other was gray.

In another bag, there was a bunch of CDs, like Jimi Hendrix and The Ramones. He didn't bother to look at the blankets and pillows, because he didn't really care what they looked like. He also left the food alone. He found a lot of DVDs, and then remembered that he had a DVD player in his room.

When he reached the last bag, he found a silvery digital camera and an MP3 player. He was almost afraid to look at a receipt if he found one. He stood up and carried it all to his room. "Thanks, Dad," he said. It felt awkward to call anyone "Dad" now. He hadn't said it in years.

"You're welcome, Craig," his father called from the kitchen.

Craig sat on the couch and tore all the tags off all his clothes. He took the blankets and pillows and arranged a small bed on the floor, as he didn't much find the couch comfortable to sleep on. Amongst the blankets and pillows, there were two large, black Adidas duffle bags. He tossed the camera, the DVDs, CDs half the jeans, shirts, and most of the shoes into them. He put the black sweatshirt on, and felt warm. "Aaah," he muttered, smiling to himself. He zipped it up and spent the next ten minutes moving the TV.

He moved it to a position in front of his makeshift bed. It was late, now, and he could see the moon outside the window. He opened the window and let some of the cold air through the small opening. Unfortunately, the window wouldn't open very much, only a few inches. He saw someone walking down the street, and knew in an instant who it was. He put his face close to the opening in the window, and said, "Ellie! Ellie!" until he saw her look up. She looked at him for a second and waved. Craig rushed downstairs and nearly ran into Ellie.

"Craig, what are you doing here?" asked Ellie, putting her hair behind her ear.

"Long story," Craig answered quickly. "What are you doing out so late?"

"Marco's mom is letting me and some of his friends over because she's feeling very… allowing right now. Do you want to come?" Ellie asked.

"I can't," said Craig. "My…no. I can't."

"You can't avoid him forever, Craig. It's just Marco."

"Ellie, I'd love to go. But I can't. I have to… go back upstairs. But it was really nice seeing you."

"Okay, Craig. Bye," Ellie said calmly, continuing on her way. Still, Craig wondered why Ellie was all the way over here when Marco lived at least another mile away.

Craig went back upstairs and continued making over the room. In one corner, the large TV; across from that, Craig's bed; next to the TV, the two duffle bags; on top of the TV, the DVD player, DVDs, and CDs; next to the bed, the MP3 player, and the clothes were all next to the couch.

He shut the light off and fell asleep.

When he woke up the next morning, he got up and had toast. There was a note on the fridge that said,

Craig-

Went to work. Call my cell if there's a problem

-Dad

And there was a number at the bottom that Craig didn't even take into consideration. He got bored, and decided to take a walk. He sent a text message to his dad, telling him that he was going to be going around and to call him for whatever reasons.

He walked around the area for about an hour, carefully observing his surroundings. When he got back to the apartment, his father was there. "Hey, Dad, what're you doing here so early?" asked Craig, taking his shoes off in his room.

"Where is it, Craig?" his father said angrily.

"What?" Craig asked expectantly, giving him a look of confusion.

"The money. Where is it?"

"What money? I don't have any money," Craig said seriously.

"GIVE ME THE MONEY, CRAIG!" Albert shouted, smacking Craig hard across the face.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Craig shouted back, punching his father and throwing him into a wall. Albert turned around and pushed Craig into a corner. He grabbed his shoulders and slammed his head against the wall several times. Then, he punched him in the eye, and kneed him in the stomach. As Craig sat in the corner holding his stomach, his father dragged him into his bedroom and locked the door from the outside. There was also a padlock on the door, and there was no reason for it. Craig figured that it was there from the last people that lived here, but didn't give it much thought as it was on the other side of the door. He crawled to his pile of blankets and pillows and curled up underneath them.

This was the moment that he wanted to call Joey, tell him he was right about everything, to come get him and take him home. But as he reached into his pocket for his cell phone, he sat still in shock. When he had been dragged into the room, he felt the cell phone fall out of his pocket, but had thought nothing of it. So, he lay amongst the pillows and blankets. When the feeling in his stomach went away, he reached over for the MP3 player. He listened to music for the rest of the day. Soon, he fell asleep again. He wanted to talk to Ashley instead of fall asleep, but he took option number two.

The Next Afternoon

Craig had been sitting in his room watching TV when he realized that he hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. He was thirsty, too. He leaned up against the door and moaned. "Dad, please… I have to eat… I need medications… I need water…" he said pleadingly. His father seemed to ignore him. Eventually, he opened the door and threw a water bottle in before slamming the door and locking it again. Craig lunged at the water, and drank it in about ten seconds. He gasped for breath and sighed; his thirst had been quenched. But he was still hungry. He leaned up against the door. "Dad! Can I have a pen?" he shouted.

"What for?" Albert asked.

"I wanna write something down," Craig answered. A minute later, Albert passed a pen underneath the door. Craig took the pen and went over to the wall next to his bed. On it, he put two marks, counting how many days he would be in the room.

He'd been stuck in the room for nine days now. He'd lost about eight pounds, as he had a fast metabolism. He'd gotten another water bottle two days earlier. Albert wasn't home now. He was at work. Craig was standing next to the window, longing for freedom...

It was around four in the afternoon, and that single moment when he was about to turn away from the window, he stopped. He'd never been happier to see him. "SPINNER!" Craig shouted through the opening in the window, trying his hardest to open it more. Spinner looked around. "UP HERE! SPINNER! IT'S CRAIG!" Spinner looked up at the apartment building and saw Craig. He ran across the street and looked up at him.

"Craig, dude, what are you doing up there?" asked Spinner, obviously confused.

"SPINNER! PLEASE! I NEED YOU TO GO GET HELP! GET SOMEONE!"

"Why?" Spinner shouted.

"MY DAD LOCKED ME IN THIS ROOM! I'VE BEEN IN HERE FOR NINE DAYS, SPIN! JUST GO AND GET SOMEONE!" Craig yelled through the window.

"Craig, there's no time! Hurry up and get all your stuff!" Then, Spinner disappeared.

Craig went and threw all of his clothes into the duffle bags, along with the MP3 player. He put on the two sweatshirts and left the other four pairs of shoes. He didn't need that many shoes, anyway. He heard someone come into the apartment, and feared that it was his father. The lock on the door opened and his worst fears were realized. His father stood in the doorway. He jumped on him, throwing him into the floor. He slammed his head into the floor several times, and then picked him up and threw him into the wall, where he slid down and lay still. Albert left the apartment and drove off.

Spinner found this as an opportunity to redeem himself with everyone at school and save Craig from starving to death in the room.

He went up to the fifth floor, where he was pretty sure Craig was because of how many windows he counted from the ground. The door was open, and he walked in. "Craig? Craig!" he shouted. He walked into the room that was facing where he was, and he found Craig lifeless against the wall. Spinner ran over and knelt down next to him. He shook him slightly, and he didn't move.

Spinner ran to the kitchen and got some water. He went back to Craig and poured it over him. Craig sat up straight. He looked over at Spinner. "Spinner, you've got to get me out of here. Please," he muttered. Spinner helped Craig stand up, and took one of the duffle bags, letting Craig take the other. He stood by the door, and waited for a minute; Craig said he had forgotten something. He came back, and they went downstairs. When they got onto the bus, there was a sense of freedom inside of Craig that he hadn't felt for over a week.

Craig sat in silence next to Spinner. Finally, Spinner said, "There's a dance tomorrow night."

"Cool," said Craig. "Too bad I can't go."

"Why not? It'd be fun."

"I can't go and see everyone yet. Not yet. Especially not her."

"Who?"

"Ashley," he whispered.

"Yeah," said Spinner. "I think you pissed her off. She won't talk to anyone and she gets mad when people ask her stupid questions."

"That's Ash for you," Craig muttered.

"Where are you gonna stay?" asked Spinner.

"I'll sleep…somewhere. I'll be fine," Craig answered, getting off the bus. "Just remember----don't tell anyone at school where I am, and don't tell Joey."

Then, they separated. Craig went one way, and Spinner went the other.

Craig went to a park and slept on the bench, uncomfortable as it was.

A/N: OKAY! THAT WAS THE SECOND-TO-LAST PART 4! HAHA! I'LL WRITE PART D TOMORROW!

**Part 4D: Where the Heart Is** COMING SOON TO A STORY NEAR YOU! READ, REVIEW, AND RATE FROM 1-10. Why did I wait so long to update, you may ask? BECAUSE I'M NOT GETTING ENOUGH REVIEWS, THAT'S WHY! If you'd put in more reviews, I'd update more often… hmm… I'll update when I get...13 more reviews,okay? ttyl.


	8. Part 4D: Where the Heart Is

Part 4D: Where the Heart Is

**A/N: OKAY, OKAY! YOU'LL SEE CRAIG OFF HIS MEDS! GOD! (but in upcoming chapters. Sorry.) Oh, yeah. I updated regardless of the 13 reviews (only had 11), because I got 1001 hits! So...merry Christmas...and Happy Hannukah and stuff.**

Craig stood up from the bench and checked to see that all of his stuff was still there. He was dying to see Ashley, but knew that he couldn't because he was at a risk of having to go back to Joey. Someone could tell someone who would tell Joey who would guilt him into coming back. He fumbled with the cell phone in his pocket before pulling it out.

Ashley and Ellie walked together in the halls of Degrassi, Ellie talking and Ashley listening. She wouldn't talk. She wasn't happy now. How could she be when her boyfriend was God knows where doing God knows what? Ellie was talking about the dance, how she wasn't going to go, and how the two would spend the night watching movies.

Ellie didn't stop talking until Ashley's cell phone beeped. The words "1 Message Received" spread across the screen. Ashley stopped walking and checked her inbox.

A – just wanted to make sure you were ok and i want you to know i still love you. C

Ashley sighed in relief and leaned against a locker. She hadn't felt this way in two weeks. She felt happier immediately and almost ran to class.

Craig was a bit disappointed when he didn't get an answer from Ashley, but he didn't think much of it; she was probably on her way to class right now. So, he sat on the bench, taking pictures with the camera and listening to music. But that only passed so much time.

Finally, he stood up and walked around the park. He sat on the swings, thinking. Thinking about everything…and everyone. About Ashley, Joey, Angie, Jimmy, Paige, Ellie, Hazel, Spinner, Marco… How he hated Marco right now. Marco was the reason he was sick. Marco was the reason everyone thought he was weak. There was no doubt in his mind that Marco was not proud of what he did, but Craig still hated him. He was still the cause for these thoughts. He'd brought this onto himself.

He wanted to see Ashley… but he didn't want to have to go back to…him. Then, he remembered that there was a picture of Ashley in his locker…at school. But everyone was in class right now. But what if someone saw him? Someone going to the bathroom or going to the office or something? He knew when to go. He'd go after the dance… when everyone was leaving. There'd be so many people, no one would notice him. And there wouldn't be any problems getting inside; the doors would all be unlocked.

Perfect.

Craig went to the Dot and got some coffee; just what he needed. He drank it slowly. Taking a deep breath, he felt his tongue go numb as the hot coffee burnt him. "Damn coffee," he muttered under his breath. When he was done with the coffee, he went to the bathroom and then left.

He picked up his two duffle bags and went behind the café, using some old cardboard boxes as a makeshift bed. He pushed a piece of cardboard behind him and leaned against the fence. He fell asleep there; he was tired from not getting much sleep yesterday.

Craig woke up several hours later to someone shaking him. "Craig. Craig," someone said. Craig slowly opened his eyes. In front of him was Spinner. "Craig, I brought some people that would like to offer their help," he said simply. Craig looked over, his neck aching. There stood Emma, Manny, Jimmy, and Marco. "Spinner, did you not here what I said?" Craig asked.

"I know you told me not to tell," Spinner said. "But I wanted you to have somewhere to stay. And behind this café on cardboard isn't the right place."

"Craig, it's totally okay with my mom if you stay at my house," said Emma. Craig felt a bit awkward with Emma asking him to stay at her house, especially since they barely talked anymore.

"If you need anything, just ask," Manny added.

Marco was silent.

"You wanna stay at my place tonight?" Jimmy asked simply.

Craig considered all their offers. "Yeah, Jimmy," Craig answered.

Craig picked up all his stuff and walked away with the four people that had come to his aid… and Marco. Marco… he wasn't someone Craig really wanted to be in the presence of right now. Jimmy, who had been being pushed by Spinner, was going through the stuff in one of Craig's duffle bags. "5 mega pixel digital camera, MP3 player, The Ramones…Craig, where'd you get all this?" asked Jimmy.

"My dad…" Craig muttered quietly.

"Your dad? I thought---" Jimmy began.

"Yeah, so did I," Craig said loudly. That was the end of the conversation.

"So, Craig," Manny said quickly, trying to start a different conversation. "Everyone's been worried about you. When are you coming back to school?"

"When I feel like it," Craig answered. "When someone opens their big mouth and tells Joey where I am, who I'm with…and then I have to go back to him."

"How long do you think you can avoid him?" Manny asked.

"As long as I don't start missing him." Craig's heart ached now. Joey was the only person he'd ever trusted. The only one… who ever really trusted him. The only parent he had left… he was just trying to protect him, but… it didn't matter now. He wasn't going back to him.

"What time is it?" Craig asked quickly.

"It's 1:30," Emma answered.

"Why did you skip school?" asked Craig.

"We wanted to give Spinner one more chance at telling the truth," Jimmy answered. "And he was… this time."

"Do you guys have any money?" Craig asked openly.

"I have thirty dollars," Manny said.

"I have twenty," said Emma.

"I have…too much," Jimmy answered.

"I got five bucks," Spinner said.

"Is there a chance I could borrow some money?"

"What for?" asked Emma.

"I'll show you when we get there," Craig answered quickly. He turned a corner and went towards the pharmacy. The others stayed behind him as he went to the pharmaceutical counter and he said in a low voice, "I need to pick up a prescription for Craig Manning. It's lithium." The woman behind the counter nodded and left for a few minutes. Craig turned around to see the others staring at him. Jimmy and Marco didn't have to wonder what Craig was getting. Manny, Emma, and Spinner had to wonder. Emma had forgotten what Craig had was called, and Manny and Spinner had never heard.

The woman came back to the counter and said, "Craig Manning…" and handed him the orange bottle. "That'll be $120," she added after pressing a few buttons. Craig turned back to look at the others. Manny and Emma handed him the fifty dollars they had together, and Jimmy gave him the other seventy. "I'll pay you back someday," Craig said, giving the money to the woman at the counter. "Would you like a bag for that?" she asked. Craig shook his head, and put the bottle in his pocket.

They left the store. Craig opened the bottle and took two capsules out. He looked around to find that two of them were carrying drinks: Marco and Manny. There were two problems with borrowing from Marco: One, he was gay and it'd just be…awkward, and he was pissed off at him. But Manny…the awkwardness… but he wasn't mad at Manny. "Manny," he said. "Can I have a drink of your water?" Manny nodded and handed him her water bottle. Craig took a drink of it and put the two pills in his mouth, swallowing them. He handed Manny the water bottle back. "Thanks," said Craig.

He hated taking the pills. Hated it. But he had to. He had been telling himself that he could keep control of this… 'chemical imbalance disorder' as he had heard Joey call it.

"Joey wants me to take these," Craig said suddenly. "He wants to take care of me."

"Why do you take those?" asked Spinner.

"For the same reason you take Ritalin," Craig answered coldly. "You have some disorder that you can't control without medication."

"What's your 'disorder'?" asked Spinner.

"I'm…I have a 'chemical imbalance disorder'."

"You mean you're bi-polar," Emma said clearly.

"Wow, Emma. You sure are smart," Craig said sarcastically.

"Don't make me tell Joey where you are," Emma said quickly.

"You wouldn't," Craig said, making it plain and simple that he knew Emma too well.

"No, I wouldn't. But that doesn't mean it couldn't just slip out…"

"Emma," Craig sighed.

"I won't tell Joey," Emma assured him. "I promise."

"Thank you," Craig said coolly. "For everything." Then they went their separate ways; Craig went to Jimmy's and Spinner, Manny, Emma, and Marco went home.

Jimmy let Craig stay in the guest room. "You can put your stuff over there," Jimmy said, pointing to the closet. Craig threw the duffle bag full of clothes next to the closet, and took time to carry it over to the closet, as it was full of the electronics and such.

"As you can see, that's your bed. It's pretty comfortable. How long you plan on staying here?" Jimmy asked.

"I don't know," Craig answered. "Until I…get things sorted out. You know, where I'll go and stuff."

"I don't care, really. You can stay here as long as you want."

"It's okay, Jimmy. I can find somewhere else soon enough."

"Whatever you want," Jimmy said lightly before leaving the room.

"Thanks, Jimmy," Craig called from his bed. Amazingly, he was tired. He'd slept about five or six hours behind the café, about eight hours at the park… oh, well. He was also hungry. But tired. He chose tired, as he was feeling lazy and didn't feel like wasting his breath to ask Jimmy for food. He also thought that would be a little bit awkward, asking Jimmy for food. So, he fell asleep again.

Jimmy woke him up about an hour later to tell him that he was going to the dance and if he wanted to, he could come. Craig shrugged. "I'll meet up with you later," he muttered. Jimmy left to the dance, and Craig fell back to sleep. He woke up two hours later and realized what time it was. He put his sweatshirt back on and left Jimmy's, remembering to leave the door locked, as Jimmy had told him upon arrival.

He walked all the way to the school. On the way there, he felt like someone was following him, but looking around, he saw no one. He shrugged the matter off and kept going. When he got to Degrassi, everyone was leaving. People piled through the double doors. It was dark outside already, and it was starting to get cold.

Just as he was about to go and get Ashley's picture from his locker, a black Mercedes pulled in front of him. He froze. His father opened the door and stepped out. It started lightly sprinkling. Albert reached into his pocket and pulled out a handgun, pointing it at Craig. People on the steps froze at the sight of the gun. Craig heard another car pull up behind him and recognized it immediately. Joey's car…Craig didn't look back, but he could tell by the way it shut off that it was him. The door slammed and he went to the front of the car, not wanting to get shot himself, but still wanting to save Craig.

To everyone's surprise, Craig pulled a handgun out of his sweatshirt pocket. He pointed it at his own head. "Don't move!" he shouted at the students. "I don't want you to get hurt." He turned and looked at Albert. "You wanna shoot me now? Huh?" he demanded. "Go ahead. Don't miss." His father sighed.

"I'm not going to shoot you, Craig," he said.

"Craig!" Joey shouted. "Put the gun down!"

"No!" Craig shouted back.

"Craig, I want to talk to you," Joey said softly.

"That makes one of us!" Craig retaliated.

"Would you just come here?" Joey asked. Craig turned around and looked at the sad look on Joey's face. The rain started falling heavier.

"I'm not going back to you!" Craig stated.

"I just want to talk to you!" Joey called from where he stood. Craig breathed heavily, the gun still pointed at his head. His throat burned.

"Joey, I trusted you!" he cried. "You're the only person I trusted!"

"I know, Craig! I'm sorry!"

"Why did you lie to me, Joey?" demanded Craig. "I wanted to trust you! And you lied to me!"

"I don't know why I lied to you, Craig! But I was trying to protect you!"

"You were right, Joey!"

"Right about what? Lying to you?"

"He did it again!" Craig shouted. Joey gave Craig that sad look again, and Craig ran towards him, letting the arm in which he held the gun fall to his side as he ran. He hugged Joey. "Oh my God, what am I doing?" sobbed Craig. "I'm standing out here in the middle of the rain, about ready to shoot this damn gun!"

Suddenly, he heard a loud crack and felt an intense pain is his shoulder. He turned around, and the people screaming and the blood that was going through his sweatshirt told him he had been shot. "STUPID SON OF A BITCH!" he shouted. He ran forward about twenty yards and shot his father in the chest. He fell to the ground, dead.

Craig looked at his father, then at the gun, back at his father. "Oh my God," he whispered. "Oh my God." He ran over to Albert, shaking him violently. "Dad! Dad! Come on! Wake up! Don't die on me…don't die on me…"

He stood up and tried to run from the scene, but fell to his knees and dropped the gun. He stared at his hands, which were covered in blood.

He screamed and fell on his side, away from the school. Joey ran over to him. "Craig, Craig, calm down. It's okay…you'll be okay…" he said quietly.

"It w-won't be okay," Craig said loudly. "I just killed my father. He's dead, Joey! And I know it this time because now I'm the one that killed him."

"Craig, try not thinking about that. We need to get you to the hospital."

"I'm not going to the hospital!" Craig protested.

"Yes, you are," Joey responded. "You're suffering from a gunshot wound in the shoulder. You need to go to the hospital."

"Leave me here to bleed to death!"

"I'm not letting you die! Get up!" Joey nearly shouted. Craig looked up at him, leaning up and pushing him away. Craig's strength surprised Joey, considering the circumstances. He curled up into fetal position and wrapped his arms around himself, staring off into nothing.

"I don't want to live life knowing what I just did," he said.

"Craig, nobody blames you!"

"I'm just like him."

"You're not like your father, Craig."

"No, I'm not. I'm just like Rick."

"Don't talk like that! Get up! NOW!" Joey shouted. He pulled Craig up gently, but Craig stood and kicked him in the leg. "I hate you!" said Craig, pushing Joey's shoulders back, then wincing in pain as he moved his own shoulder. He pushed Joey into the hood of his sports car and flipped him over, so that he was on his stomach on the car. He took Joey's arm and put it behind his back, him still doing this with a bullet in his shoulder, and held the position with his left arm. Joey was yelling at him to let go and get in the car. Craig still held it.

He slammed Joey into the car, and Joey seemed to be letting him do this. If he wanted, he could get up. But he didn't want to. Craig was upset right now and he wasn't going to beat him down right this minute. Craig looked up and remembered when everyone was happy. Before Manny, before the shooting, before anything. The way everyone wanted it to be. But then again, now happy wasn't normal. Happiness was something that nobody at Degrassi had been feeling at all. Manny, hurt since the abortion, Ashley, hurt by him being with Manny at all, and of course cheating on her. Paige, before the rape, even though he'd only heard about it. Jimmy and Spinner, before Jimmy was put in the wheelchair. Marco…well, Marco really had no problems, other than Dylan. Emma, before the shooting, when everything went downhill for her. Sean, also before the shooting, after he moved back to Wasaga Beach, but then came back. And, of course, himself. Before he'd found Jimmy, lifeless, on the floor, and before he was bi-polar, although he had a feeling this had been going on longer than the diagnosis let on, before Manny. And now…

He let go of Joey's arm and pushed him away softly. He dropped back to the ground. "Craig, come on," Joey said, rubbing his arm. Craig shook his head. Joey put a hand on Craig's other shoulder, the one that hadn't been shot. "It'll get better," Joey assured him. "Now come on. I don't want you to pass out or anything."

Craig hesitated, then slowly stood up, leaning on the car so he didn't fall back down. He slowly walked to the passenger door. He realized that no police had come, so everyone in front of the school that had left by now had understood the situation. He opened the door. An ambulance came to the scene, but that was it. No police. He sat in the cream-colored seat and waited for Joey to come in.

Craig reclined the seat and laid down. Joey put something on his shoulder. Craig, soaked with water from the rain, shivered. His weight loss and the fact that he got cold easily set in, and his entire body was cold.

Joey took a jacket from the backseat of the car and put it over Craig. Craig felt a little warmer, but not by much. He opened his eyes a little bit and gave Joey a small smile. They drove in silence to the hospital.

Joey took Craig into the emergency room, where he was set up with a regular-sized room, and his shoulder was bandaged.

The doctors X-rayed the injury, and found that the bullet was still there. Before surgery to have it removed, Craig said, "I want to keep that bullet." So, after surgery, Craig was given a small bottle with the bullet. Actually, Joey was given the bottle, as Craig was still passed out in the bed.

However, when Craig did wake up, he was surprised by the small size of the bullet. "Joey, when can I see Angie?" Craig asked while he was eating two days later.

"When you go home," Joey answered.

"But I want to see Angie today," Craig said.

"Yeah, but I don't want to traumatize her by taking her into a hospital."

"Joey, she's old enough. There's no more traumatizing Angie. Seeing Caitlin when she first wakes up in the morning… that's traumatizing. Me in the hospital…not traumatizing."

"I don't know, Craig…" Joey said uncertainly.

"Joey, if you don't bring her in, I'm gonna go bi-polar on your ass," Craig said, glaring at Joey.

"Oh, now I'm definitely not bringing her in," Joey finalized.

"I was kidding, Joey! Please? Please? I miss Angie…and I think…I think I'm going to die without her," he cried out dramatically.

"I'm not going to bring Angie in, but in about an hour, I'll bring in someone that called and wants to see you. I think you'll be satisfied. Now I have to go check on Caitlin and Angie. I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Fine, Joey. Be that way. Hmph," Craig said, pouting.

The morphine made him fall asleep after he ate.

When he woke up, it was nighttime outside, and the room only had one light on—the lamp that was sitting on the table. Craig saw someone sitting in the chair next to the bed, but he didn't quite recognize them. He took a pencil off the table and poked the person until they moved and woke up.

"Sean?" Craig said blankly.

"Dude, you're up. Finally," said Sean.

"What're you doing here? I thought you were living up with your parents in Wasaga Beach!"

"Well, Ellie called me the day before yesterday, and said that you were in the hospital, and everyone was worried, but everyone got freaked out, so she wanted me to come make sure you were okay. Plus my parents were going lame and drunk again, so…I'm here. I'm moving back in with Ellie, and that kind of takes some pressure off her. We have a cat now. I do not like cats."

"So you're staying now?" Craig asked.

"Yeah," Sean said simply. Craig sighed.

"Good," he said.

"It is good," Sean mumbled. "So…what's the whole story on you being in here?"

"Well, my dad actually put me in here," Craig said.

"Joey?" Sean said quizzically.

"No, my actual dad. Joey lied to me about my dad dying," said Craig. And he told Sean everything---about the apartment, the stuff he got from his father, the two water bottles, Spinner…

"You had a gun," Sean muttered after the story was over.

"Yeah. I wasn't going to shoot myself, Sean. I wouldn't do that. My dad had a gun, and I didn't want him to miss and get anyone hurt."

"You were willing to put your life in danger for the lives of a bunch of people that think almost nothing of you?"

"Yeah, I was." Craig took two orange bottles off of the table and gave Sean the one with the bullet. "That's the bullet I got shot with," he said. He took two white pills out of the second bottle and drank them down with some water.

"What're those for?" Sean asked.

"Bi-polar." The one-worded answer wasn't enough.

"What's bi-polar?"

"I don't know… I have some 'chemical imbalance' in my brain. So… somehow the pills make me 'better'. Joey and Ashley get pissed off when I don't take them."

Sean and Craig talked and joked around for about three hours, and in the morning, Sean left, and Craig was alone again. Joey came back in later in the day. "Only two more days," he said.

"Like you care. You're not the one confined to this bed," Craig said coldly.

"Nice attitude, Craig."

"Sorry, but you're not the one that everyone talks to and leaves."

"No, but I'm not the one who ran away."

"I'm not the one who lied."

"Craig, I want you home."

"I want to be home. How do you expect me to want to go home if I'm stuck in this damn bed all day? I'm going to grow used to its charm and sleep all day."

"You sleep all day anyway."

"I wouldn't sleep all day if they would give me the right prescriptions."

"How do you know about that?" Joey asked.

"When I was sick a couple weeks ago, I found a letter from the pharmacist that was addressed to ME that you opened, saying that I had been getting someone else's prescriptions, also known as sleeping pills."

"Do you want to go home, Craig?" asked Joey.

"Yeah, I do."

"How much?"

"I want to go home really, really bad. You know, they say 'home is where the heart is'. My heart… is with you and Angie, and Ashley. Caitlin, I'm not so sure. And I guess seeing you guys and being with you makes me feel… at home, and whoever said 'home is where the heart is', they were right."

"I want you to come home, Craig. I do. Just wait it out two more days."

"Joey, I want you to go to Jimmy's. In the guest room, there's two Adidas duffle bags by the closet. Take them home with you, and go through the one with the CDs and stuff. Bring me the MP3 player and the camera."

"Okay," Joey said. "Anything else?"

"Yeah," Craig said, smiling. "Bring Angie, too."

Joey sighed and said, "Fine. But only this one time."

Craig continued smiling as he watched Joey go out of the room.

**A/N: That was like, the longest chapter ever. But not longer than the NEXT one. So, what'd you think? Pretty good, right? Okay, read, review, and rate. TTYL. Oh, yeah. Only ten reviews for this one, and then five for the rest of the chapters. MMkay?**


	9. Part 5: Homecoming

Part 5: Homecoming

A/N: CRASHETBURN! GIVE IT A REST! (BY THE WAY, IT'S MRS. MARCO'S BISEXUAL NOW). BUT IT WILL CHANGE IN THE...PART THAT I'M STILL WORKING ON...PART SEVEN, I BELIEVE...) Oh, yeah. Bet you can't wait for part six, called Party Up, and it's about Sean's party and such...so...yeah.

Craig had finally gotten to see Angie, and when he got home to Joey's, he couldn't remember feeling better anytime in his entire life. He sighed as he walked in the front door. Caitlin was there, and she had cooked dinner.

Angie was happy that Craig was home. Craig was happy that Sean was back, and Sean had called about two hours ago, telling Craig that he was having a party at him and Ellie's apartment in about two weeks. Why he would wait so long, Craig would never know, but it was probably so that Sean could get his stuff back to the apartment and get situated.

"…Yeah, I'll be there…" Craig said quietly, leaning back on his bed. He was talking to Sean about the party. "…'Kay, later…" Craig hung up the phone and closed his eyes. He finally felt relaxed now that he was back with Joey, Angie, and… well, it didn't really matter that Caitlin was there. But she was kind of cool. He was happy when Caitlin had come back and made up with Joey. Hopefully, this time she wouldn't leave.

Craig sat up and took the phone back downstairs, putting it on its base, then went to watch TV with Angie. Tomorrow he was going back to school. School… where he'd see everyone that saw what happened. He tried not to think about it now, but maybe think about it before he got to school the next day.

There was a knock on the door, and Joey rushed downstairs to answer it. Craig heard some mumbling and then two police officers came inside. One officer held a piece of paper, which Craig guessed was a warrant, and then he said, "You're under the arrest for the murder of Albert Manning…"

Craig couldn't believe what was happening. He was handcuffed and put into the police car. He looked up at Joey, who was watching from the door. Joey returned the look, and felt bad for allowing him to be taken without an explanation.

Craig was silent the entire way to wherever the police were taking him. One of the officers said, "You're his son, aren't you?" Craig nodded silently, staring out the window. The officer nodded to himself in understanding. They were all quiet.

When they got to the police station, Craig was placed in a holding cell. The bed was yellow and had a dark brown stain in the middle. It smelled horrible, disgusting compared to what he was used to. He sighed and sat against the wall. He coughed as he breathed in the fumes of the cell. He wondered how something used for such short amounts of time could smell and look this bad.

About ten minutes later, Craig was taken to the office, where he was given one phone call. He immediately called Joey. "Hello?" Joey said quickly.

"Joey, you've gotta get me out of here!" Craig cried.

"Craig, calm down! Calm down!" Joey said. "I'm going to help you!"

"I don't know what to do! This place sucks! Help me…"

"Don't worry, Craig. I'll get you out of there."

"Joey, I didn't mean to shoot him…"

"I know, I know. Tell them that… tell them everything. It's okay. It was acting on impulse."

"Promise you'll help me get out," Craig whispered.

"I promise."

"Okay." Craig hung up the phone. Joey felt bad for leaving Craig in jail, but it was only for a little while… he hoped.

Craig was put back in the cell, and crawled into the corner and died. (Don't worry. I'm just kidding.)

He sighed as he buried his head in his hands.

He sat in silence for hours. He was awake, but thinking. It was dark in this cell. He saw the other cells; they were clean and had light. Oh, no. Not this one. Dark, smelly. So, he was left in a dark corner. He heard the door open, and looked up. A man holding a flashlight shined it on him. "You alive?" the man asked.

Craig rubbed his neck and stood up slowly. He could barely see from the man shining the light in his eyes. "Come on." The man motioned for Craig to follow him, and they went into a room. He was probably in there for questioning.

There were two men there, an attorney and a police officer.

"Let's make this simple," said the attorney. "Did you kill Albert Manning?"

Craig was silent.

The attorney sighed and repeated, "Did you kill Albert Manning?" He said this about four more times before Craig shouted, "I didn't kill anyone! I acted on impulse! He shot me first!"

Craig lifted his sleeve to show where the doctors had taken the bullet out. There was still supposed to be a bandage on it, but Craig took it off the day before.

The guard that had taken Craig there took him back to the cell, no one else asking any questions. Craig kicked the wall, disregarding all pain that came from it. He collapsed on the wall. He sat in the dark for a long time. He fell asleep and woke up when someone came in and shook him awake. It was the guard. "You hungry?" he asked.

Craig said no, that he wasn't going to eat the garbage that he knew he would be given. The guard laughed and left. He came back a short time later, handing Craig a paper bag. "That's my lunch," he said. "Be thankful."

Craig opened it. There was a thermos of soup, a water bottle, and a sandwich. Craig thanked the guard, and ate in peace. He handed him the bag, and thanked him again. Then, the guard said, "Name's Gamble."

Craig smiled sadly and said, "Hi, Gamble."

"You're tired," Gamble stated.

"You can tell?" Craig said. It was barely a question.

"You don't want to sleep on the cot because it looks sick, right?"

Craig nodded.

Again, Gamble left and got him a blanket. "Here. You can sleep on the floor. I wouldn't want to sleep on that cot, either."

Craig grinned and pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, sitting in the corner. He'd gotten used to the smell by now. The blanket didn't keep him very warm, but it made him feel…secure.

He fell asleep with thoughts of Ashley, who had been slowly drifting from his mind as the days passed.

The Next Morning

Craig woke to the sound of someone in the cell nearby yelling at someone else. He sat still and shouted, "SHUT UP!" There was a short silence before someone else shouted it right back. They yelled at each other for a while. Finally, one of the guards came and sprayed the one in the other cell with water. Craig was a little disappointed that the other one didn't get the hose. That would've made him laugh, even considering the circumstances.

He cackled maniacally to himself as he heard the person next to him getting soaked with water. He didn't even know that they did that here, just a holding cell.

Still, he awaited the day that he would go back home to Joey.

He'd started to miss him already; the way he talked with him, how he was always nice to him, always…there.

The day passed, and Craig had refused to leave the cell, even when promised another phone call home. "I'm not even supposed to be here," he argued.

He stood up and buried his face in the corner. He stood there for hours, his legs getting tired, so he slouched back down. He laid the blanket back on the floor and sat on it.

He was in the dark for so long, he had no idea when the days passed. Gamble came back. "What day is it?" Craig asked.

"Sunday," Gamble answered. He again gave Craig his lunch, and Craig was grateful because his rebellion against the police had also caused him a starvation that lasted for three days.

He sighed heavily as he finished the rest of his lunch.

"When am I getting out of here?" Craig asked weakly, handing him the bag.

"When the attorneys get everything sorted."

"How long will that be?"

"A few days maybe."

"I want to go home."

"I know you do."

"I want to see my step dad."

"You will."

Craig was quiet, and returned to his usual activity of sitting in the dark.

Gamble left without another word.

So, more days passed with Craig getting lunches from Gamble, whom, he assumed, brought two: one for himself, and one for Craig.

Craig had never met a nicer guard. The other guards were just quiet all the time and spent no time talking to anyone.

Craig developed a sense of numbness in his legs, as he had barely moved.

About six days after he'd first been in the cell, Craig was awoken by someone saying his name. He told them to go away; that he had no place in this cell and that there was no way he was leaving unless it was to go home. He finally opened his eyes and looked over to the dim lighting. There, like seeing a lake in a desert, was Joey.

"Joey!" he cried. He ran over to him and grasped the bars. "Joey, I want to get out… Get me out, Joey. Please, please…"

The attorney came and stood next to Joey. "Craig, we got everything sorted out. You're free to go."

Gamble came and opened the cell. Craig ran out and hugged Joey, who hugged back.

Craig's eyes still burned from the bright light outside when they left.

However, there was much more to the next day, when he would finally be able to go back to school. Sean called, and said that a lot of people at school were more worried about him than they were thinking he was a psycho… like Rick. He tried not to dwell on the thought of bringing a gun to school and shooting someone, then having someone shoot him. He also tried not to blame Sean, and say that he shot Rick. But something inside him told him that Sean had accidentally pulled the trigger…trying to save Emma.

"Hey, Joey, uh… what's for dinner?" asked Craig randomly, coming downstairs to hang up the phone.

"I don't know, we haven't decided. Why?" Joey said, confused.

"Oh, well… I was kind of hoping we could have pizza. I haven't had it in a while, and…"

"Sure, Craig. I'll call in the order."

"Thanks, Joey," Craig said before running upstairs, almost running into the wall when he stopped. "Joey!" he shouted back down the stairs. "You know how I like pizza."

"Yes, Master!" Joey shouted jokingly back up to him. Craig laughed and then thought about calling Ashley. He went back downstairs and got the phone. He sat at the table and dialed the number. Ring…ring…ring…answer. "Hello?" said Kate.

"Uh…is Ashley there?" Craig asked coolly.

"No, she's not," Kate said coldly. "And I would recommend that you don't call back. She's made it quite clear that she doesn't want to speak to you again. Don't call again." Craig listened in horror.

"GOOD!" Craig shouted into the phone. "I DON'T WANT TO CALL BACK AGAIN! I WOULD HATE TO GO AGAINST ASHLEY'S WISHES!" He shut the phone off and threw it against the wall.

"Whoa! Craig! What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Joey asked quickly, rushing to Craig.

Craig was quiet for a moment before saying, "Ash's mom hates me."

"Craig, it's not Ashley. It's her mom. Her mom can hate who she wants. It's Ashley you have to worry about."

"I know, Joey. She said Ashley doesn't want to talk to me ever again. I'm not sure whether I should believe her or ignore her."

"Why don't you try talking to her at school tomorrow?" Joey suggested. Craig shrugged.

"I kind of wanted to talk to her before I went to school."

"Well, you can talk to her before school starts."

"Joey, I try to respect her and her parents and… her horny aunt. But they all seem to be against me. All of them. Except the horny aunt. I shudder at the thought of her."

The two laughed and Craig went back upstairs. He silently wished that he had his guitar back. He vowed to find the guitar, wherever it may be.

He thought about everything, and then went downstairs to play video games on the X-Box. He got bored. The pizza arrived, and everyone sat down to eat. Angie and Caitlin, who arrived a few minutes after the pizza, were happy to see Craig. "Craig!" Angie said happily, jumping on his lap. Craig hugged her.

"Hey, Craig," Caitlin said casually, sitting down by Joey.

"Hey," Craig answered.

They all ate, and Caitlin and Joey talked and joked around. Craig just listened.

There was not much notice of Craig's silence. When everyone was finished, Joey said, "Craig, I want you to come to the garage."

"Okay…" Craig said suspiciously.

Craig followed Joey to the garage, with Caitlin and Angie following him. Joey turned the light on. On the old couch, there was a blanket covering something…

"Take it off," said Joey. Craig pulled the blanket off slowly. Underneath the blanket was…

"OH MY GOD. Joey, where did you find it?" Craig asked happily. "I was thinking about this earlier! I missed it!" Craig held up his Hendrix-replica guitar. He plugged it into the amp he had sitting in the corner. He played E9. He shuddered. "Ah," he said. "Needs tuning. A little bit scratched, but not bad."

"I saw it in a pawn shop. The guy there only wanted $1000."

"You paid that much for this stupid guitar? Joey, you didn't have to…"

"I know what music means to you, Craig. I wanted you to have the guitar."

"Thanks, Joey," Craig said, hugging him with one arm.

Craig took the guitar up to his room and put it on a pile of pillows he had on the floor. "Ah," he said. "Perfect."

Going back downstairs, Craig said, "Joey, what'd you do with those Adidas bags that you picked up from Jimmy's?"

"They're in your closet somewhere."

Craig shrugged and went back upstairs to his closet, where he found the two black bags. He went through one of them, with his CDs. He took them out of the cases and threw half of them against the wall. Joey came in, and after almost being hit by a flying CD, asked what he was doing.

"It's everything. Everything he tried to buy me with. It's all wrong. All of it. He couldn't love me, so he tried to buy me with all this stuff. The CDs, and the camera, and the MP3 player, and the clothes… it's disgusting…"

"Craig, keep it. All of this stuff… it drove your father crazy that he couldn't love you the way he wanted to. He loved you, Craig. He just had problems showing it."

"Joey, do you know why Mom left him?" Craig asked.

"I try not to think of reasons," Joey said simply.

"He hit her. And me. And one day she just said, 'I think I'll go find someone else.' I could've died living there, Joey. And she didn't care. She was selfish, and she wanted to get away from it all. She left me there to die in that house with my father."

"Craig, your mom loved you."

"That's what everyone says. But why did she leave me, then? She told me that she wanted to take me with her, but then again, she wanted a new life, and you two wanted your own kid, and I couldn't be part of what she wanted."

"You are what she wanted."

"I didn't know I was a perfect life. That's all she wanted. She left me behind because she knew she couldn't handle it anymore. She knew what was happening."

"Your mom… she was probably scared, Craig."

"Scared of what? My dad? What was he gonna do, Joey? Come and kill her if she didn't save me? I'm sorry, but to tell you the truth, I didn't want to be part of her new life. I didn't want this 'new life'. It was what she wanted. And it wasn't fair of her to leave me alone. Not knowing what he was doing."

"I agree, Craig. She was scared. She didn't want to hurt you anymore than your father had."

"I miss her."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not okay. I barely got to see her. Ever. And you… you didn't act like the world's nicest step dad around me while she was still alive."

"I was…tense back then. With Angie being born, and… it was tense."

"'Tense'. What does this mean, Joey? That being tense gives you an excuse to act like a jerk? I should tell that one to Ashley one of these days…"

"Craig, I'm sorry I acted like that. I'm sorry, really."

"You know what's stupid? First we were talking about my dad and now we're arguing about Mom."

Joey laughed.

"I'm tired," Craig complained.

"Well, I'll leave you alone so you can go to bed then."

"It's not like I can go to bed right now. I have to go take a shower." Craig stood up and went into the bathroom. Letting the hot water run over him, he felt clean and refreshed. He dried off, got dressed, told everyone goodnight and went to bed.

The Next Morning

Craig woke up early, about a half-hour before he normally would. He put on an outfit made up of what his father had bought him weeks ago. He walked downstairs, where Joey and Caitlin were sipping coffee and Angie was drinking orange juice.

"Hey, Craig," Joey said happily. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," Craig said, going to the kitchen and getting some water for himself. He took the orange pill bottle off the top of the fridge, and swallowed two tiny, white pills with the water.

"Ready to go to school today?" Caitlin asked, standing up and getting a fresh cup of coffee.

"Yeah," Craig answered. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Craig, are you going away again?" asked Angie.

"Nah," said Craig. "I think I'll stay here this time."

"Good," Angie said firmly.

Craig had some breakfast and waited for Joey to finish his. "C'mon, Craig," said Joey. "I'll give you a ride to school."

Craig got into the passenger seat of Joey's convertible, and Joey drove him to the front of the school. "Thanks, Joey," Craig muttered as he opened the door and got out of the car. He walked up the steps, and went straight to his locker.

Mission number two: find Ash. He looked over at her locker, and she wasn't there. He saw Ellie in the hall and said, "Ellie, have you seen Ash?"

"Uh…no, but she should be here later," Ellie said casually.

"Okay, thanks. Uh…later," Craig said quickly, running to Mr. Simpson's class. He took a seat in the back of the room. "Craig, it's nice to see you again," Mr. Simpson said, seeing him sit down.

"Nice to see you too, Mr. Simpson," Craig mumbled.

Several students were staring over at Craig and whispering to each other. A few minutes after class had started, Craig got an email. It was from Marco. The email said, "Craig – I really need to talk to you. –Marco". Craig glared over in Marco's direction.

He wrote back, "We have nothing to talk about."

Marco rolled his eyes and wrote, "I think we do. Please. I need to talk to you."

Craig wrote, "Fine. Two minutes. After school." There was no way he was going to talk to Marco about anything. Marco smiled in relief.

He got another email. It was from Jimmy, and it said, "Craig-what's up? Everyone's worried about you; quit acting all secretive."

Craig scoffed. "I'm not acting secretive," he whispered to Jimmy.

"Yeah, that's what you're being."

"No it's not!"

"Yes, it is. Everyone's worried about you, man. Talk to someone."

"Who? Marco? No. I'm never talking to him again. He can go screw himself."

"Craig!" Mr. Simpson said loudly. "There will be no talk of people…ahem…screwing themselves. Return to your work."

Craig sighed heavily and said, "But Mr. Simpson, I'm not talking of people screwing themselves. I'm talking to Jimmy about what happened two weeks ago. Is that so wrong?"

"No, Craig, but this is my class and I don't want you talking about that in the middle of_my_ class."

"You know what, Mr. Simpson?" Craig said boldly. "Your class can go screw itself." And then, he stood up and walked out of the room. "Everyone, please continue with your work. I'll be right back," Mr. Simpson said, following Craig down the halls.

Craig stopped at his locker. He pressed the side of his face against it, feeling the cold metal against his skin. He pounded the locker next to him with his hand. Mr. Simpson watched as Craig broke down on the locker. He fell to the floor and pulled his knees to his chest. Mr. Simpson sat down next to him. "Craig…" he said quietly.

"Don't talk to me. You're as bad as Marco," Craig said harshly.

"Craig, what's going on between you and Marco?" Mr. Simpson asked curiously.

"It's nothing."

"Craig, I know it's not nothing. Tell me. Or tell somebody. You don't get to act like this in my class."

"It's always about your class, isn't it?" said Craig coldly.

"No, a lot of the times, it's about my family and my friends."

"You know, if Jimmy had left your class and said it could screw itself, you'd leave him alone and be like, 'Oh, well, it must be stressful being in a wheelchair.' What about Emma? What if she did it? You'd do the same thing. Or with Sean, or Marco, or Paige…but no, I'm just the insane student that everyone needs to follow around because he's a psycho and he might accidentally shoot himself. Well, Mr. Simpson, if I was to shoot myself, it wouldn't be an accident." The two stared at each other for a while.

Finally, Mr. Simpson stood up and said, "I have to get back to teaching. I'm not making you come back to class, but you can if you want, which you probably don't." And then he went back to the Media Immersions room. Craig sat there and said, "Good! Because I don't want to come back to your stupid class!" Mr. Simpson glanced back at Craig and turned into the room, shutting the door behind him. Craig sat at his locker, staring at Mr. Simpson, who turned around to make sure that Craig wasn't going anywhere, and Craig glared at him. He stood up and trotted down the hall. He looked in all of the classroom windows.

He saw Sean and waved at him. Sean waved back, and then continued to his work. In some odd way, Craig was proud of Sean and Ellie. Ellie, especially, who had to support herself with money she had to get from her mom, all up until she made it herself.

Taking a small step back, he waved at Emma and Manny, who were two rows in front of Sean. The two girls waved back, and also continued with their work.

He walked the empty halls for about twenty-five more minutes, and finally, the bell rang. He went back to his locker and took out an English book. He slammed his locker shut. Glancing to his left, he saw her. "Ash," he whispered. She was about fifty feet away, on the other side of the doors. They stared at each other for a minute, before Ashley came running to him. She hugged him, and Craig dropped his book on the floor and hugged her back. He kissed her, and she kissed back. Ashley pulled away. "Okay, okay," she said. "Not in front of everyone."

Craig laughed. "I called yesterday, but your mom…" he began.

"What did she say?" Ashley demanded, her demeanor changing rapidly.

"She said that you never wanted to see me again. I don't think I should see your mom anymore."

"I'll talk to her," said Ashley. "But right now I want to talk to you."

"Okay," said Craig, sliding down the locker. Ashley sat down next to him. "What do you want me to tell you?"

"Everything you feel like telling me," Ashley answered quietly.

"Well, it starts two years ago. My dad dies, right? The cops come to Joey's, say my dad's dead, I go to my dad's and get what I wanted, which was really nothing…two years later, I'm at home, watching the news with Joey, Caitlin, and Angie, and the lady on the news says my dad's been released from jail. I went insane right there."

"So…Joey lied to you about it?" asked Ashley clearly.

"Yeah," said Craig. "And so I left. I told him I had to go to school, and then I just went behind the Dot, where Jay followed me. I sat there trying to figure out ways to find my dad. And then I figured, there were the nurses and doctors at the funeral, so they were in on it too. I went to the hospital, and the nurse there told me where he was living. I went to my dad's, and he let me stay there. My dad went and bought me a ton of stuff… like an MP3 player, a digital camera, all these clothes, CDs, and DVDs. It was crazy. I've never had someone buy me that much stuff at one time. I saw Ellie. She was on her way to Marco's. What she was doing downtown that late at night was beyond me."

"Ellie never told me she saw you," Ashley said accusingly. "Oh, well. You're here now." Craig hugged her. He heard the bell ring and started to get up. "Hey," Ashley said. "English can wait. I want to hear this." Craig shrugged and sat down.

"Okay, so… oh, yeah. Like, the day after I saw Ellie, my dad went to work. He came back like, three hours later and said I stole his money. I had no reason to even have money; he bought me everything I needed. And then he did it again."

"He beat you." Craig ran a hand through his hair and sighed, nodding to Ashley's statement.

"Yeah. And then he made me stay in my room for nine days. I got water every four days. I guess he had to make sure I didn't die or something. And one day, I was looking out the window, and I saw Spinner. He was the one that saved me from my dad. Spinner was on his way there, and then my dad got there first, so he beat me again. I don't really remember much, but he threw me against the wall. I remember waking up and Spinner was there. I told Spinner something, and then I grabbed my cell and I went into my dad's room and that's when I took the gun." Ashley sighed, and leaned her head on Craig's shoulder, and putting a hand on his arm.

"I left Spinner when we got off the bus, and I spent the night in the park. Then I fell asleep behind the café, and I woke up. Spinner, Jimmy, Emma and Manny were there. They wanted to see if Spinner was telling the truth this time. I have no idea how they found me, but they did. And then they gave me some money so I could go get some medications, and I spent a day at Jimmy's. I went to the school at the end of the dance to get something from my locker. And that's when it happened. My dad…Joey…" His throat started burning, as did his eyes. He wiped at his eyes. There was no way he was going to do this in front of Ashley. Unfortunately for Craig, he did. He broke down. A painful memory, no doubt. You'd have painful memories like that too if you had shot your father on impulse.

"Craig, shhh…it's okay. It's okay," she said, rubbing his back with one hand. She hugged him tightly. "We can talk about it later." Craig nodded.

"I love you, Ash," he whispered.

"I love you, too, Craig," Ashley said quietly. She sat with Craig until he was calm enough to go to class. When they got to class, they sat down at an empty table. They only had about ten minutes left of class, because they were at the locker the entire time, but that was okay. They had the rest of their lives to be happy together. They didn't need a stupid English class.

After School

"Ash, you wanna come over?" asked Craig.

"Sure," she said.

"Cool. I want to show you the guitar."

"Craig, I've seen the guitar."

"Yeah, but I can play it again. It needs tuning, but…"

"Yes, Craig. I think it's the player that needs tuning," Ashley said playfully.

"I think the player does need tuning," Craig answered, kissing Ashley.

"Craig!" Marco said quickly. Craig turned around and glared at him.

"We were going to talk after school, remember?" he said.

"Marco, I'm hanging out with Ashley right now. Reschedule."

"No, Craig!" Marco cried. "We have to talk about it. And you made plans with me first."

"And Ashley has more sentimental value to me than…you do. And she doesn't make me look like a lame-ass in front of the whole school. So no. We have nothing to talk about."

"Craig, why don't you just talk to Marco?" Ashley suggested.

"No," Craig argued. "I'm not talking to Marco."

"Please, Craig?" Ashley begged. "I don't want to have to lose time with you later." Craig groaned.

"FINE!" he shouted. "What do you want, Marco?" he demanded.

"Craig, I want to talk to you about what happened," Marco muttered. He sat down on the steps, allowing Craig to do the same.

"Make this quick," Craig said angrily.

"When we got in the fight…" he began slowly. "…I didn't mean to make it look like it did."

"Marco, you say a lot of things."

"Craig, would you just listen?" Marco almost shouted, standing up to face him, as Craig hadn't taken the offer of sitting next to him.

"I'm sorry I made you look like that! I didn't mean to make you look 'weak' in front of everyone! And I'm sorry you had to get stitches, and…I'm sorry! It's not like me to even fight at all! I don't know what came over me, but I'm sorry." Marco said, loud enough for everyone to hear. Craig didn't say anything.

"I have to go," Marco said quickly, turning to leave.

"Marco, come on, man," said Craig, holding Marco's shoulder to stop him from leaving. "I'm almost okay now, and… now everyone's just worried about me. It's cool. Don't worry about it." This received a smile of praise from Ashley, who was sitting a few feet away from them watching the scene.

"Thanks, Craig," said Marco, about to go home.

"Marco," Craig said immediately, again grabbing his shoulder. He leaned down in his ear and said, "Ever wear a ring during a fist fight again and you'll get a beat-down." Marco smiled nervously and said, "Okay." Then, he finally left.

Ashley got up and stood next to Craig. "You did good," she said coolly. Craig put an arm around her waist and kissed her on the cheek. Finally, Craig got a chance to show Ashley his guitar and just about everything he had now.

"Wow, Craig," she said. "I can't believe Joey would pay that much for a guitar."

"I know," Craig answered. "It's unbelievable. I told him I didn't want it if he paid that much, but you know that good ol' Joey. He insists and insists, and finally… well, yeah. So…now I have all this stuff and I don't know what to do with it. But I do know what I'm going to do with this pair of shoes…" he said.

"What?" Ashley asked curiously.

"I'm gonna give them to Spinner. They're brand new, must've cost $100, and…I owe him. A lot. He deserves them. So are you going to Sean's party in a couple weeks?"

"I didn't know Sean was having a party," Ashley said calmly.

"Well he is. And he wants everyone to be there. So…"

"I'll go."

"Great. Okay, then…"

"So…" Ashley said, trying to find a subject. "Um…maybe I should head home."

"No, Ash, please. Don't go yet," Craig begged. "You've only been here for like, a half-hour. Please don't leave."

"Okay, Craig," said Ashley. "I won't leave. Yet. But find something for us to do." Craig smiled wickedly.

"Okay," he said. "Wanna go to the garage?" Ashley hesitated for a minute before smiling and following Craig down to the garage.

She walked through the door and looked around the empty garage. "Craig?" she said in a confused voice. "Craig!"

She almost had a heart attack when Craig came from behind her and grabbed her shoulders.

"Craig! Don't do that!" she cried out, even though she was glad he was there.

"Sorry, Ash," Craig said in a mock pout. He went over to the couch. "God, it's cold in here." He sat down on the side, and Ashley came over and sat next to him. Craig turned his head and kissed her, and she kissed him back. Craig laid down on the couch and stretched out, still kissing her.

They kissed slowly for about two minutes, and then it started going a little faster. Suddenly, the door opened and Craig stretched his arms over his head to make it look like they'd just been lying there. He opened his eyes and said, "Hey, Joey." Ashley rested her head on Craig's chest.

"Hey, Craig," Joey said quickly. "Ash, your mom's here." Ashley got off Craig, who followed her to the house. Kate was sitting at the table in the kitchen, drinking some water. She looked up when she saw Ashley, whose hair was a little messed up, her shirt wrinkled, and her face a little pinkish, but other than that, she looked like she normally did.

"Ashley," she said. "You were supposed to call."

"Mom, you never told me to call," Ashley said quietly.

"You should know to! Especially when coming _here_!" Kate shouted venomously.

"Why? It's not like we were going to do anything!"

"How do I know that?" Kate demanded. "You could've been doing anything!"

"How do you know that we were doing anything? He wanted to show me his guitar!"

"I'm sure he did!" Kate screamed. Joey and Caitlin watched this scene from the couch. They were monitoring the argument and also making sure that Angie didn't pop in and hear it. She was over at a friend's house playing right now.

"You want proof?" Ashley screamed right back in her mom's face.

"I don't care about proof! I don't need proof! I know what you two do when you're alone! I got a call from the school today saying that you skipped almost your entire English class!"

"What do we do when we're alone, MOM?" shouted Ashley, getting right up to her mom. "What?" Kate had no answer. "You really want to know what me and Craig do?"

"Yes, I would!" Kate said, repositioning herself, standing up. She watched in horror as Ashley put her arms around Craig's neck and kissed him. Craig was surprised at first, but he closed his eyes and kissed back.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!" Kate pulled Ashley off of him, and Ashley turned around and slapped her mother. Kate slapped Ashley back. Ashley looked at Kate and said, "This is what happens to Craig when he does something wrong." She slapped Craig in the face. Craig looked at her in confusion. Kate turned and slapped Craig on the other side of the face.

"Oh, come on!" Craig said loudly. Caitlin put a hand on Joey's chest, forcing him to sit back down. She got up in Kate's face and glared at her.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" she screamed. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SLAP HIM!"

"HE HAS NO RIGHT TO BE WITH MY DAUGHTER!"

"HE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO LOVE WHO HE WANTS! HE'S MY STEP SON AND IF YOU EVER SLAP HIM AGAIN, I'LL HAVE YOU ARRESTED! NOW GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Caitlin shouted. Ashley, Joey, and Craig all stood and watched, their mouths slightly open at Caitlin's sudden rage. Craig had no idea she could be like that.

"I'M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER!" Kate yelled, grabbing Ashley by the arm.

"I'm not going with you," Ashley said coldly.

"You will come with me right now, Ashley Kerwin!" Kate said angrily.

"No! I'm not coming with you! You slapped my boyfriend and you made a scene in front of his family!"

"Come. Now."

"No. You're just going to try keeping us apart again! You can't tell me who I'm gonna love!" Ashley tore her arm from her mother's grasp and clung to Craig as though her life depended on it. Her mother glared at her, picked up her car keys, and slammed the door shut.

Craig stood there with Ashley still hanging on to his arm. "Uh…Joey, can Ashley stay here for tonight?" he asked. "I'm sure she just needs some time." Joey nodded. Craig took Ashley upstairs and laid her down in his bed. She sighed.

"Since you'll be spending the night here," he said. "I'm pretty sure that Caitlin has some pajama pants in the laundry, and you can wear one of my shirts. But, it's not nighttime yet, so… what do you wanna do?"

"I don't know," said Ashley. "But…maybe we can finish what we started?"

"Wow, Ashley, that's so unlike you," Craig said. "I like it."

He laid next to Ashley, and they continued what they'd been doing before Kate arrived. "I'm sorry I slapped you. It was just for show."

"It's okay. No more talking."

"I'll probably go home tomorrow. Okay, now no more talking."

"Thank you."

LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA

Author's Note: That's a REALLY long chapter! It's like, 6700 words! YIKES! Anyway, I'll update when I get ten more reviews on THIS one. So…later. Suggestions? Questions? PUT THEM IN YOUR REVIEWS! (And always read the author's notes on my stories. They're usually important.) And in part 6, Craig gets WASTED!


	10. Part 6: Party Up

Part 6: Party Up

**A/N: I know you've all been awaiting MORE Craig drama. This also has Craig on his meds, but something happens to him at Sean's party. Mmkay? Something really BIG happens in this one. (It's what you've all been waiting for since part 5.) I've been planning it for a while. So…yeah.**

Craig enjoyed his time with Ashley, even though he knew she would leave tomorrow or the next day. He realized that Joey was suspicious of what they'd do alone, in Craig's room, sleeping in the same room…but he trusted Craig…enough. He was also letting him go to the party soon. It was in like, a week, but that was okay.

Joey was just the kind of person that trusted Craig enough to be respected. Without trust, there was no respect between the two. And right now, Joey's trust was something that Craig respected. Joey had been shocked at how Caitlin had handled the situation with Ashley's mom and Craig. He was about to stand up when Kate slapped him, but Caitlin got protective. You see, even though Craig didn't notice it, and Caitlin never showed it, she cared about Craig. He's her boyfriend's step son, and that counts for something. Not to mention the fact that Joey and Caitlin were going to get married…someday.

Caitlin had almost never spent time with Craig, mostly with Angie, but she understood most of the situations involving him. There wasn't really a doubt in Joey's mind that if he put Caitlin and Craig in a room together, they'd get along. But it wasn't really something he'd do. Right now, he was kind of worried about what would happen leaving Craig and Ashley in a room together. He walked upstairs and looked through the slightly open door.

The two were still fully clothes, other than the fact that Ashley almost had Craig's shirt off, so what they were doing couldn't have been too bad. He shrugged and went to his own room. He sat down on the bed and buried his face in his hands. He sighed, and then heard someone coming up the stairs. It must've been Caitlin, because Craig and Ashley were in Craig's room, and Angie was at her friend's house.

Caitlin walked into the room man, Joey's good and sat down next to him. She put a hand on his back and said, "What's up, Joey?" Joey looked up at her.

"I don't know," he said. "Craig's just…Craig's almost gone." Caitlin looked horrified for a minute.

"Does he have cancer?" she asked quickly.

"No, no," said Joey. "He's getting older. I spent the last three years paying attention to Angie and just about everything else…but him. And he's graduating soon, and…then he'll be gone."

"Joey," Caitlin said, sighing in relief, laughing a little. "There's months before he graduates. And he might not realize it right now, but he needs you."

"He won't need me after he graduates."

"Yes, he will. How's he going to go to college?"

"I don't even know if he wants to go to college."

"Don't you want him to have a car?"

"Yeah. He needs a license first."

"Then tell him to get one!" Caitlin said loudly. "You can't expect him to want a car if he has no license!"

"He's wanted a car since he was fourteen!" Joey cried. "I'm pretty sure he wants a license. He just didn't want to talk about it while he was in a wheelchair. He'll want one now."

"I'd suggest asking him now if he wasn't a little busy," Caitlin said, smiling. Joey laughed.

"He's a pretty good kid," said Joey, giving a small sigh. Caitlin nodded in agreement. She kissed Joey on the cheek. They both heard the phone rang, and went down to answer it. Joey answered. "Daddy," said Angie. "Are you coming to get me now?" Joey talked to Angie for a minute.

"It was Angie," he said, finally hanging up.

"Want me to go get her?" Caitlin offered.

"Sure," said Joey. Caitlin picked the keys up off the table and left to get Angie.

Joey sat, alone, watching TV for about a half-hour. He wondered how far away Angie's friend Destiny lived, but then he realized that this was Caitlin driving. She'd been there before. He guessed it was a few miles away. Whatever. Craig and Ashley came downstairs later on. "Hey Joey," they both said, plopping down on the couch next to Joey. Craig sat between Ashley and Joey. Craig turned his head towards Joey and got almost an inch from his face. He stared at him, waiting for him to turn his head. Joey didn't seem to notice him.

Craig tapped Ashley's knee, still holding his head in front of Joey. "Joey," Ashley said quickly. Joey turned his head, and saw Craig. He jumped back, making Craig and Ashley laugh. "Craig!" Joey cried, his heart racing.

The couch settled down again, and Craig turned his head and looked over at Joey. Joey looked over at Craig and raised his eyebrows. Craig raised his eyebrows right back at him, and then he turned and looked at Ashley, who also raised her eyebrows. They all looked back at the TV, their eyebrows still raised, and then burst out laughing.

Caitlin and Angie walked in the door minutes later. "Craig!" Angie said happily, running over to the couch and jumping onto Craig's lap. "Hi, Angie," Craig said casually. He let Angie sit on his leg for a few minutes and watch TV before shoving her off onto Joey. "You're making my leg numb," he said. Angie smiled.

"I know someone else that makes you numb," she said. "_Ashley_!" Craig glared at Angie, and then looked over at Ashley, who was laughing hysterically. "She's crazy," said Craig. "I think she should live in a mental hospital. She blurts things out like that all the time. Like this morning, I heard her say, 'Daddy, there's giant worms in my orange juice.' She's weird." Ashley stopped laughing for a moment, then looked over at Craig. She smiled and then started laughing again.

"I'm going to bed," Craig said immediately, standing up. He stretched and walked toward the stairs. "Oh, yeah," he added. "Caitlin, do you have like, some shorts or something that Ash can wear to sleep in?"

"Yeah," Caitlin said. She stood and followed Craig upstairs. He went to his room, and she to hers. She came into Craig's room and dropped a pair of shorts on his bed. "Thanks, Caitlin," Craig called from the closet, where he was trying to find something.

"No problem," Caitlin said, leaving.

Ashley came in as Caitlin left. "Craig?" she called, wondering where he was.

"I'm in the closet!" Craig shouted.

"What're you doing in the closet?" Ashley asked.

"I'm looking for something!" Ashley shrugged and sat on the bed. She looked at the shorts and figured Craig was going to be looking for 'something' for a while. She took her jeans off and threw them aside. She pulled the shorts on.

"Craig!" Ashley shouted to Craig, who was still rummaging around in the closet. "Come here!"

Craig emerged from the closet. "Could you take your shirt off?" she asked. "It's probably warmer than most of the other ones." Craig sighed and pulled his shirt off, handing it to her. She looked at the wound on his shoulder. It was fading slightly, but you could still sort of see it. She moved her hand over it softly.

"That's where he shot you," she muttered.

"Nope," said Craig, turning around. "That's where he shot me." He pointed to the large purple mark on his shoulder.

"Whoa," she said. "Then why do you have a wound in the front?"

"Because that's where they took the bullet out," Craig said informatively.

"Oh," said Ashley. She sighed and got under the blankets after she put the shirt on. She curled up, trying to get warm.

Craig turned the light off and got in the bed with her. "I'll find it tomorrow," he muttered. Ashley wondered what 'it' was, but didn't lose sleep over it. Craig put an arm over her, keeping her warm. They soon fell asleep in each other's company.

Joey went upstairs and looked into Craig's room. In the light of the hall, he could see Ashley and Craig in bed (sleeping), and Craig had no shirt on. "Leave them alone, Joey," Caitlin said, pulling Joey away from the door. "They're just kids! They're not gonna do anything." Joey nodded, sighed, and put Angie to bed. He and Caitlin went to bed afterward.

The Day of the Party!

Ashley had gone home two days after Craig had been slapped by Kate, but she still wasn't talking to her mom. It was now Friday, the day of Sean's party. There were about fifteen people that were supposed to be there, including Sean, Ellie, Jimmy, Spinner, Paige, Ashley, Craig, Hazel, Emma, Manny, and a few others.

Craig took Ashley with him. He'd persuaded Joey to let him borrow the car this one night, which was strange, because Joey never let him drive since the incident with Spinner, Sean, and Marco. He promised to have it back in one piece. Joey was still hesitant, though. But, the trust issue was brought up again, and let him take it. One rule: be careful.

"Thanks, Joey!" Craig shouted, taking the keys off of the counter. He and Ashley got in the car and drove off. It was dark already. He remembered: don't look at the police. When they got to Sean's, there were already a few people there.

Sean greeted him and Ashley at the door, and offered them both drinks. Craig said yes, while Ashley said no, that she wasn't thirsty. Sean grinned and got Craig a drink. Craig took it, tasted it and smiled. "Nice," he said.

Craig saw Ashley talking to Ellie, and didn't want to get involved in their girl talk, so he went and talked to Jimmy. He saw Emma and Manny enter the room. He went and got another drink, which was a bottle of beer from the fridge. He walked past the two girls and said, "Hey, ladies."

"Hey, Craig," the two chorused. Emma saw the bottle in his hand, but disregarded it when Sean started talking to her. Craig went back to Jimmy, finishing their conversation. He finished the beer and went to get another; hmm----these were addicting.

He picked another one out of the fridge and opened it. His hand was red from opening them that way, but that was okay. He ran into Manny on accident. "Sorry, Manny," he said. He realized who it was and said, "Hey, Manny."

"Hey, Craig," Manny said for the second time that night. "How've you been?"

"Can't really complain…" he said. It was awkward talking to Manny at a party. But it felt okay. "You?"

"I've been doing great. I'm going to New York City on Sunday for a photo shoot. My parents are paying so much money for it---five-hundred dollars. But it's going to be so fun."

"That's great, Manny," Craig said coolly. "Things are really going good for you."

"Yeah," said Manny.

"Not to make this weird or anything, but I want a picture of you. I'm graduating soon, and I don't really have any…just one. I have to get a picture of Emma too…hmm…"

"I have one with me," she said. "Of me and Emma." She reached into her handbag and pulled out a small picture of her and Emma. It must have been recent, because Manny had gotten her hair layered just the week before.

"It's okay," Manny said. "I have copies of that one."

"Thanks, Manny," said Craig. He put the picture in his back pocket and finished the beer. He amazed himself at how fast he could drink these.

"Manny!" Emma called.

"Oh, gotta go," Manny said. "Bye."

"Bye," Craig said. He returned to the fridge to get another one, but found a bottle of vodka sitting on the counter. He took his empty beer bottle and filled it with the vodka. It took him about five minutes to drink it, but he did. He felt dizzy, but it felt okay.

Craig took a second to make sure he could still stand, and then walked over to where Sean and Spinner were standing; talking about things that he probably wouldn't care about.

"Hey…guys," he said.

"Dude, what're you doing?" Spinner asked.

"Huh?" he said blankly.

"Are you drunk or something?"

"Uh…no…I…I think…hmm…" he mumbled.

"You want me to drive you home?" Sean said coolly.

"Nah, I can drive myself."

"You're drunk off your ass, Craig. You're gonna wreck."

"I can drive my own self, person. What's your name again?"

"Sean. And that's Spinner."

"Spinner…Sean…Sean…that's a funny name, Sean. Shh…on…ever notice how weird that sounds? Shonn…" Craig laughed. The two boys stared at him, and Spinner started laughing hysterically. Craig looked at him.

"Heh," he said. "You have funny hair." He rubbed Spinner's head softly. Sean started laughing. Spinner stood there and stared at Craig as he stroked his hair. He was like a little kid when he was drunk. His eyes were wide with amazement at Spinner's hair.

"I think he likes me," said Spinner. "He told me he's bipolar. You know, 'bi'. He likes me because of my hair."

Sean looked at Spinner. "Do you even know what bipolar is?" he asked.

"Yeah. It means that Craig likes girls and boys, thus the word 'bi'. 'Polar', meaning 'top', right? Meaning that Craig likes both girls and boys because of their hair. Craig's got the hots for me because of my hair."

"Spinner, bipolar means that he has a 'chemical imbalance' that makes his brain go faster than everyone else's, so he freaks out without medicine."

"Whoa. Seriously? I was just trying to sound smart a couple weeks ago when we were at the store. I just kept repeating everything Emma said. How do you know this stuff?"

"That's what happens when you're good friends with people."

"Who you talkin' 'bout?" Craig asked.

"One of our friends," said Sean.

"Really? Does I know this friend?"

"Yeah. You do," Sean said quietly. Craig stood there for a second before retreating back to the kitchen to refill the bottle. He stood there and drank it all. He almost fell over. He looked around for a minute.

He walked over to talk to Ashley. He looked at Ellie, laughed, and said, "Heh. You're pretty." He stroked her hair softly, as Ellie and Ashley stared at him.

"Craig, are you drunk?" Ashley asked. Craig stared at her blankly for a second.

"Drunk…n…no…why?...Are you d-drunk?" he said slowly.

"Should I have someone drive you home?" Ashley said calmly.

"I am ca…p…b… I can drive my own self back to Joe's."

"Craig, really," Ashley said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Craig pulled away.

"Why are you touching me? I don't even know you! Are you retarded or something? You don't go around touching people you don't know!" Craig said loudly. Everyone stopped doing what they were doing and watched the two.

"Craig, it's me—Ashley. You know…your girlfriend?" Ashley stared at Craig.

"Stop staring at me! You're a freakin' psycho! Why are you even talking to me? Better question—why am I talking back?" He turned around, about to leave.

He ran into the wall. Manny put a hand on his arm. "Craig, are you okay?" she asked. He was almost falling over. She led him to the couch, and sat him down. "Stay!" she ordered. She went and got some water.

Craig drank the water and thanked her. He looked like he was about to throw up. Manny pushed him up from the couch and ran him to the bathroom. She pushed him on his knees and closed her eyes as he threw up. She patted his back.

He slowly stood up. "Maybe you should go home," said Manny, leading him out of the bathroom. Craig nodded. "I'll go find someone to drive you." Just as she was about to walk off, Ashley slammed her into the wall.

"What's your problem?" she screamed. "Have to steal my boyfriend again?"

"Look at him! Does it look like I was trying to steal your boyfriend?"

"What were you two just doing in the bathroom?"

"HE'S DRUNK!" Manny shouted. "WHAT DO YOU THINK WE WERE JUST DOING IN THE BATHROOM?" Ashley ignored her and moved on to Craig. She slapped him hard across the face.

"Never again, right Craig? You and Manny are over?" She slapped him again.

"What...we…were just…talking…" he slurred.

"I hate you, Craig. Just get out of my sight."

"Ash…please…you don't even know what happened!" Ashley pushed him.

"Don't push me!" Craig cried. "We didn't even do anything! I swear!"

"Right, Craig," Ashley muttered angrily. She pushed Manny, who was still standing, watching the scene like everyone else, into Craig. "Leave."

Craig took the keys from his pocket, ran out to the car, and sat down. He started the car. Emma and Manny ran out of the building and towards Joey's car. "Craig!" Emma cried. "Don't leave! If you're going anywhere, let someone drive you!"

Craig hit the gas and drove off.

**A/N: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WHAT NOW? EH? GONNA GIVE ME A BUNCH OF REVIEWS BEGGING ME TO WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER? ANYWAY, I'M WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER. I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT IT'S CALLED, BECAUSE THAT WOULD GIVE IT AWAY! ANYWAY, THIS IS SUSPENSFUL, AND….YEAH! SO… REMEMBER THE 3 R'S : READ, REVIEW, RATE**


	11. Part 7: Party's Over

**Part 7: Party's Over**

**a/n: hahaha. This is thy chapter that I have made thou wait for. So…enjoy! OH YEAH! This DEFINITELY has Craig OFF his meds…a lot. Mmmkay? And guess who pays the price? (cough, cough, Spinner, cough, cough, Sean…ahem…Joey, Snake, Marco, Jay…:eats cough drop: ahhh…) But not everyone mentioned in THIS chapter. Mmmkay? It's easy mmmkay… **

It was 1:07 in the morning at the Jeremiah/Ryan/Manning residence when Joey Jeremiah was woken by someone calling. He ignored the first time the person called, but the second time, he got irritated and answered. When the person verified who he was, and told him what he needed to know, he dropped the phone.

He couldn't speak. He just sat on his bed. Caitlin put a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong, Joey?" she demanded.

"I…It…It's…Craig. He's…he's…in…the hospital…there was an accident…he…" he stopped talking. He put some pants and a shirt on, put his shoes on, and took Caitlin's car to the hospital. He ran into the hospital, and asked what room Craig was in. The woman at the desk said that he was in room 417.

He ran all the way to the room, taking the stairs, as he was too impatient to use the escalator. He burst inside Craig's room. It was silent. Tears ran down his face as he walked over to Craig's bed. He looked at his face, which was bruised and bandaged. Blood was showing through the sterile-white bandages. There was a respirator over his mouth, and a cast on his arm. There was a neck brace around his neck. duh. A needle took up residence in his left arm.

"Craig, I'm sorry," Joey whispered. "I never should've let you take the car." Joey spent the night in the hospital with Craig. He talked to a doctor, who said Craig was in a coma, and he also talked to a police officer, who said that Craig drove into a tree, and that he had been drunk at the time.

Joey lowered his head in despair. Caitlin arrived the next morning. She said that she would take care of Angie until Craig got better. Joey nodded and Caitlin left.

Monday, Degrassi Community School

Ashley walked alone. Everyone had heard the news of Craig on Saturday morning. Everyone knew who made Craig leave the party drunk. Not even Ellie would talk to her. Manny was the one that helped him that night. She and Emma even tried to get him not to leave. Ashley doubted him, accused him, slapped him… and now she felt horrible. But that didn't change what everyone thought of her.

She ate lunch alone. People glared at her, called her rude things. She cried herself to sleep that night. She could've killed herself for almost killing Craig, accusing him of cheating on her, slapping him. Now her heart ached, and she felt sick. She wanted everything that happened Friday night to never have happened at all. Her mom had said that they needed less people like Craig in the world. Ashley said that they needed less people like HER in the world, people that judged, insulted, were rude…it was sick. She hoped to God that Craig could find it in his heart to forgive her. Something told her he probably wouldn't.

Hospital Room 417

two weeks after the accident

Joey watched Craig every minute of every day. Unless he fell asleep, ate, or had to go to the bathroom. He watched Craig, and every time Craig would take a deep breath, hope filled him, and then left as he gave a heavy sigh.

"Please be okay," Joey whispered. He leaned his head onto the bed and fell asleep. He felt someone's hand on his, and opened his eyes. He looked up and saw what he'd been waiting for for two weeks. Craig was looking down at him, sadly, but he smiled a little bit.

"Hey, Joey," he said hoarsely. Joey smiled happily.

"Hey, Craig," he said calmly. "How are you?"

"Shit," said Craig. "That's how I feel. Like shit." Joey threw his head back and laughed.

"You find this funny," Craig stated.

"No," Joey said. "You. You're what I find funny."

"How'd I get here anyway?" Craig asked.

"You got in an accident," Joey answered. "At Sean's party. You got drunk and wrecked my car." Craig was quiet.

"I'm sorry," he said. "About your car."

"Nah," Joey said. "Don't worry about it. I have insurance." He remembered the picture.

"Joey, where are my pants? The ones I was wearing the night of the accident?" Craig asked.

"They're at home. They're getting washed. The shirt was kind of ruined, because of the blood and the glass ripping it, but your pants are okay. I found this stuff in the pockets." On the nightstand by the bed, there was a pile of stuff, containing a wallet, a chain, an MP3 player, and, of course, the picture of Manny and Emma.

"Thank God," Craig whispered, picking the picture up. "Manny gave me this at the party. That's all I really remember."

"People keep calling. Caitlin sits by the phone answering calls from people at school. They want to know how you're doing."

"Me? Oh, I'm doing just great. I mean, with a needle and a cast on one arm, and a neck brace…I'm great. My chest hurts like hell, too. But, yeah, I'm just great." Joey stared at Craig.

"Oh my God, don't let me go back to jail…don't let them take me back…they'll know…they'll know…"

"They'll know what, Craig?" Joey asked.

"They'll know I'm underage and that I got drunk at Sean's, and then Sean's gonna get in trouble for having the beer and the vodka…shit…they'll take me back…"

"I already talked to the police," Joey said. "I explained your situation, and they said you're only getting a warning because nobody's pressing charges for anything, but don't do it again." Craig nodded.

"When am I getting out of here?" he asked.

"When you're ready," Joey answered. "The doctors…oh, yeah, I should probably go get the doctor…"

"No," said Craig quickly. "I want you to stay here with me until I fall asleep again. I don't want a bunch of doctors stabbing me with needles." Joey nodded and resumed his position next to Craig.

"How long has it been?" Craig asked, looking down at Joey.

"It's been two weeks," Joey said quietly. "You've been in a coma for two weeks." Craig was horrified.

"Two weeks?" he said loudly. "Oh my God, I've practically been dead for two weeks…"

"It's okay, Craig. We're gonna get you out of here. When you wake up."

"Okay, Joey," Craig whispered. He closed his eyes and his breathing became regular again. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Joey said back to him, watching as he drifted back to sleep. He picked the phone up from the table and called Caitlin.

"Hello?" Caitlin said in a bored voice. She must've been answering more calls.

"Caitlin!" Joey said quickly. "He woke up!" Caitlin stood up and laughed.

"Really?" she said. "That's great!"

"He was only awake for about five minutes, but we talked, and he's…okay."

"Thank God," Caitlin muttered.

Degrassi, Friday Morning

"Manny! Manny!" Emma shouted. She ran up to Manny Santos's locker so fast, she almost didn't stop.

"What? Is everything okay?" Manny asked, surprised at Emma. Emma smiled.

"He's awake!" she cried. "He woke up early this morning!" Manny sighed.

"Thank God he's okay," she whispered. "We have to tell people!" Manny ran up to a group of people, including Jimmy, Paige, Hazel, and Spinner. "He woke up! He's gonna be okay!" she said.

'Who?" Paige asked blankly. Manny stared at Paige like she was insane.

"Craig," she said. "Remember…he got in the accident, and…?"

"Oh, yeah, Craig. That's nice, Manny." Manny glared at her before moving along.

"Paige, what is it with you?" Jimmy asked coldly.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Paige answered. "It's just Craig, and he's just in the hospital. It's not like it hasn't happened before."

"God, Paige, you're more heartless than Alex," Jimmy said before leaving with the other two, leaving Paige alone. Paige sighed.

"I heard that, Brooks," Alex called from her locker. Jimmy laughed, and kept going with Hazel and Spinner. They saw Marco coming in through the front doors.

"Marco!" Jimmy shouted. "You hear about Craig?" Marco ran up to him.

"No, is he okay?" asked Marco.

"He's fine," Jimmy said. "He woke up this morning."

"Seriously? That's great!" Marco said happily.

When they got to homeroom, everyone thought about as little of Paige as they did Ashley.

"Did everyone hear the news?" Mr. Simpson asked the class while he was taking attendance. A few students asked what 'the news' was. "Craig's awake now. He's going home in a few days."

"Cool," someone said from the back of the room. Mr. Simpson smiled and continued with the attendance. "He's missed a lot of school," he muttered.

The news spread throughout the school, lightening the moods of everyone except Ashley and Paige. Ashley couldn't be happy until Craig forgave her, and Paige wouldn't be happy about him being awake until she found a reason to care. She was starting to act like she did in grade eight.

Ashley cared about Craig, but was afraid that he was mad at her, which he probably was. She didn't talk to anyone; no one talked to her either.

Ellie was mad at Sean for having alcohol in the house when she told him no. Sean said that someone must've brought it because he didn't have any, but admitted to giving Craig a drink with some alcohol in it. Ellie forgave him, and they were happy like they were before Sean moved. Ellie had been desperately wishing for Sean to come back from Wasaga, and no matter what Ellie said, she missed him. She was happy when he said he'd come back. And he did.

"Em, we should go visit him after school," Manny said during lunch.

"Manny, do you still have a thing for Craig or something?" Emma asked suspiciously.

"No, Em," Manny answered truthfully. "But me and Craig are trying to act normal around each other, especially since he's graduating at the end of this year, and there's not really much time for it after that. We have to get over the past. We're just friends."

"Sure, I'd love to go visit him," Emma said calmly. "Right after school. I'll tell Snake." Emma had only called Mr. Simpson "Snake" when she was talking to her friends, otherwise she called him "Mr. Simpson" during class or "Dad" at home or after class.

After School

"Dad," Emma said, walking into Mr. Simpson's emptying classroom. "Me and Manny are going to see Craig, okay?"

Snake looked at Emma curiously, then nodded. "Yes!" Emma muttered happily. She and Manny rushed to catch a bus toward the hospital. When they got there, they saw Caitlin about to go up the elevator. "Caitlin!" Emma called. Caitlin turned around and stopped the elevator.

"Emma! Are you two here to see Craig?" Caitlin asked. Emma and Manny nodded. "Okay, come with me."

They went up three floors, down two hallways, and got to room 417. They went in the door. Craig was laying in bed, listening to Joey talk. He looked up at the door and saw Caitlin, followed by Emma and Manny.

"Hey," Craig said quietly. Caitlin gave Craig a small smile and a wave. Emma and Manny sat on the other side of Craig, across from Joey and Caitlin. Joey and Caitlin moved to the other side of the room, talking quietly.

"So," Manny began. "How're you feeling?"

"Like shit," Craig said. "But it's not too bad in here. Joey says he hasn't left this hospital in two weeks. That's insane. If he was in a coma, I would've left. But it's not his fault he's so protective, right? I mean, really. He's trying to make sure I'm okay, and I think I can sort of understand his point of view. Poor Joey." He looked up at Manny. "How was your photo shoot, Manny?" he asked.

"Oh, it was so fun," said Manny. "The photographer was so nice, and I got to model really cool clothes."

"That's cool," Craig muttered. "What about you, Emma? Do anything exciting lately?"

"Not really," Emma answered. "School gets more boring by the day."

"Why do you think I keep getting in the hospital? I hate school." Manny and Emma nodded in agreement. "They say that high school is supposed to be the best four years of your life. Ever since I got to Degrassi, I've been going through hell. Unless I'm Satan or something, I don't think that the last three years has been all that fun."

"Life is hard," Emma said. "I think anyone that goes to Degrassi has some kind of painful history."

"Especially me," Craig pouted. "And this year…this is the weirdest year I've ever gone through. We're, what, four months into school now? I've been in a wheelchair, lied to, beaten, shot in the shoulder, considered a killer, in the hospital, in jail, drunk, and now I'm back in the hospital. Interesting."

"Paige was being a wench today," Manny said out of nowhere.

"Again? That's new to me," Craig said sarcastically.

"Well, this morning, Emma almost had a heart attack when she heard you were awake, and I told Jimmy, Hazel, Paige, and Spinner first. Paige freaked out and said that she didn't care if you were awake at all because you were just Craig and you're just in the hospital, and 'It's not like it hasn't happened before.'"

"Whoa, that is wenchy."

"I know," said Manny. "And you know what's weird? Emma thinks I still…want you." She gave Craig a look of mock disgust toward Emma. Craig laughed, and Emma turned and gave Manny a death glare.

"That is weird, Emma," Craig said, laughing. It felt good to be on speaking terms with Manny, not like he used to. It had been two years, and it was time to try letting it go.

"You know, everyone's mad at Ashley," Emma said, staring at Craig.

"Why?" Craig asked curiously.

"Because on the night of the party, you got drunk, and I had you sit down, and then you looked sick so I took you into the bathroom, and Ashley got mad because she thought we were doing something in the bathroom, and then she slapped you like four times, and she pushed me into you, and then you took Joey's car and left. That's when you got into the accident. She's the one who told you to leave, and you were drunk off your ass, and we couldn't do anything. You had the doors locked, the car was started, and…there was really nothing we could do," Manny explained. "We called Joey, but no one picked up. Nobody talks to Ashley because it's her fault you left. I was going to get Spinner to drive you home, but that didn't work because you'd already ran out of the apartment. It was too late. I'm sorry we couldn't do anything."

"It's not your fault," Craig said to the two girls. "It's Ashley's. She shouldn't have made me leave. I could be just fine right now. I'm not sure what possessed me to drink half the container of vodka, though."

"That's probably why you were so drunk!" Manny cried. "You could barely walk. You kept running into the wall. It would've been funny, but considering the circumstances…" Craig laughed.

"Thanks, you two," Craig muttered. "For taking care of me at the party."

"It was mostly Manny," Emma said. "I was talking to Sean half the time."

"Well, then, thanks, Manny," he said. "For letting me puke in front of you."

Manny laughed. "I had to close my eyes or I would've hurled too," She said. The three of them talked for about an hour, then the two girls said goodbye and left. Joey resumed him position. "Craig, the doctors said that you'll be out of here on Sunday," he said. Craig smiled weakly.

"Thank God," he said quietly.

Sunday Night, Joey's House

Craig walked into the house in which he lived. "Ah," he said. "Hopefully no more of those stupid incidents."

Angie ran downstairs when she heard Craig. She jumped onto him. "Hi, Craig!" she said. Craig dropped her onto the floor. "Not the chest, Angie, my rib's broken," he said quickly. Angie shrugged and hugged his leg.

"Craig, are you going to school tomorrow?" Joey called from the kitchen.

"Uh, yeah," Craig called back. "I'm gonna go up to my room and lay down for a little bit, okay?"

"Go ahead, it's your room," Joey said carelessly. "I'll get you when dinner's done."

"Okay," Craig said before painfully going up to his room. It actually hurt his ribs to go up the stairs. He walked into his room, and as he lay down on his bed, he stared at his guitar. He wanted to play it, but he knew holding it would hurt his ribs, and not to mention, his left arm was broken.

He dragged the guitar stand toward his bed and slowly took the guitar onto his bed. He grabbed the cable that was connected to the small amplifier sitting on the floor and plugged it into the guitar. He laid the guitar on the bed, using his right arm to play simple, open-string notes.

"This sucks," he muttered. He pushed the guitar off the bed and back onto the stand. He lay down on the bed, resting his eyes, thinking about how bad he wanted to play the guitar.

"Craig!" Joey called. "Dinner's done!"

"Joey! Could you bring it to me, please?" Craig shouted. "I don't think I can move!"

Craig heard footsteps on the stairs, and Joey appeared in the doorway. He was holding a plate and a glass of water. "Here," he said. "I'm not doing this again; you got lucky this time." Craig smiled.

"Thanks, Joey," he said. "Ah, feels like the hospital already." Joey smiled and left. Craig ate his dinner in silence.

the next day

Craig and Ashley stared at each other from across the hall. She was about to open her mouth and say something, but Craig turned and walked away. During MI, Mr. Simpson said that Craig could do something else on his computer if he wanted to because the assignment required typing, and he couldn't very well do so with his left arm. He sat there on 'paint', drawing stupid, pointless things.

Taking his time, he finally drew Mr. Simpson, who was sitting at his desk. He wrote "Mr. Simpson" in the corner of the picture, saved it, and emailed it to Jimmy, Marco, and Spinner. They all opened their emails and started laughing hysterically. Mr. Simpson looked up and said, "What's so funny, guys?" The three boys shut their inbox windows immediately, still laughing.

"Nothing, Mr. Simpson," Marco said quickly. Mr. Simpson stood up and went over to Marco's computer. He opened his inbox and saw the picture that Craig drew of him. It was actually a pretty good picture, but the deformed right eye and three hairs on top of the drawing's head made it look awkward, and that's probably what they were laughing at.

"Craig," Mr. Simpson said. "See me after class." Craig nodded, holding in his smile.

"Okay, Mr. Simpson," he muttered. He drew another picture, this time of Paige. He sent it to Hazel, Jimmy, Spinner, Marco, and Ellie this time. Ellie snorted when she saw the picture. Hazel began shaking with silent laughter, and Jimmy, Spinner, and Marco all began laughing out loud.

"Craig, stop drawing pictures of people," Mr. Simpson said. "You're distracting others." Craig glared at him. He erased the Paige picture and drew another Mr. Simpson with horns and a tail. He again sent it to Hazel, Jimmy, Spinner, Marco and Ellie.

When they got their emails, the two girls couldn't hold it in.

"Okay, okay," Mr. Simpson said. "Let me see it." He went up to Hazel's computer, looked at the picture, and went over to Craig's computer. "Craig, go to the office," he said.

"But Mr. Simpson," Craig began slyly. "You said not to draw people anymore. You do know that Satan was like, half-goat, right?" The class burst out into laughter.

"Now," Mr. Simpson said coldly. Craig straightened his back a little.

"No," he said defiantly. Mr. Simpson sighed.

"Craig," he warned.

"Mr. Simpson," Craig said back.

"Craig, please go to the office. Now," Mr. Simpson said, almost shouting. Craig looked at Mr. Simpson, and was about four inches away from his face when he said, "Make me."

The entire class looked horrified. People started whispering, staring over at Craig.

"Come on, Mr. Simpson, seriously. What are you gonna do? It's not like you can force me to go, I mean, you can't touch me and actually push me in the direction of this… 'office' you speak of. The worst you can do is… call my parents. But, seeing as I don't have these so-called 'parents', you'll have to call Joey. Poor Joey, so hard at work while Caitlin…isn't. So I guess you'll have to call Caitlin. And really, what's she gonna do? Give me a death glare? That doesn't work on me, sir, I'm sorry."

Mr. Simpson stormed over to his desk, picked up the phone, dialed Joey's cell phone, and handed the phone to Craig. Craig sat back in his chair casually. "Joey, what's up?" he said, smiling.

"Craig, what are you doing?" Joey demanded.

"I'm talking to you," Craig answered innocently.

"I mean, what are you doing calling me while I'm at work? Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah," Craig said. "Everything's great. Mr. S is kind of freaking out though, might have to go to a shrink or something…I don't know, I was just drawing some pictures, and he freaked out on me…fine…okay, I'll talk to you later…what?...uh…" Craig quickly hung the phone up.

"Joey says that if you're gonna be like that, then I don't have to put up with you," he said calmly, tossing the phone to Mr. Simpson, all the way across the room.

"Well, Joey's not your teacher, and Joey's not here. That makes me your authority. Why'd you hang up on him, Craig?" he asked.

"Because I figured that he had to get back to work, and he was just asking stupid questions. Joey being Joey, you know."

"What kind of stupid questions?"

"Just…stupid questions." Mr. Simpson picked the phone up and started dialing Joey again, when Craig ran up and took the phone out of his hand, slamming it to the desk.

"Joey's busy," he said. "Let him work. He's the only person working to support four people right now." Mr. Simpson glared at Craig.

"Why are you so concerned that Joey's working?" Mr. Simpson shouted. Craig turned and was about to leave when Mr. Simpson grabbed his shoulder.

"What in the hell do you think you can touch me for?" Craig said loudly. "Do not touch me." He ran out of the room. He ran down the hall and into the boys' bathroom, sliding down the wall. He sat there, contemplating whether to ditch the school day altogether and just go home, or sit in here until the bell rang.

He decided not to disappoint Joey again and sat against the wall until the bell rang. The door swung open and Sean came in and stopped. He stared at Craig, who was now in the corner.

"What're you doing in here?" Sean asked.

"Nothing," Craig muttered. "Didn't feel good." He stood up with some difficulty and faced Sean.

"Uh, about the party, I---" Sean began.

"Don't worry about it," Craig said quickly. "The party's not something you should worry about."

"I don't really like to blame people, but Ashley's the one that told you to leave. I would've taken you home if I knew you were that drunk or that she was that much of a---"

"Okay, Cameron, you don't have to talk about Ashley like that." He looked up at Sean. "That's my job."

The two laughed.

"So, really, are you sick?" Sean asked. "If you don't feel good, you should go see the nurse, 'cause I don't want you barfing on me or anyone else, 'cause then I'd puke when I saw what you'd done."

"Oh, thanks, Sean. I always wanted to avoid being sick for you. But no, I'm not really sick. I walked out on Simpson again."

"Again? Dude, you're gonna get suspended.'

"Yeah, I know. But if Simpson wasn't such a prudish ass, I might have a little more respect for him."

"And out of all the places you could think of going to avoid Simpson, you think of here?" Sean asked skeptically.

"No. You didn't let me finish. I walked out on Simpson because he was being stupid, and he was trying to put me in the office, and I told him off, so he called Joey at work, and Joey asked me if I took the stupid meds this morning, and then I hung up. Now Simpson's pissed because I won't tell him what Joey asked me about."

"Did you take the stupid meds this morning?" Sean asked.

"Why do you care? It's not like you're the insane one."

"You're not insane."

"No, Sean! Okay? I didn't take them! Happy now?" Craig shoved him into the sink. "Lay off."

"Man, don't push me!" Sean shouted. He shoved Craig into the wall. Craig used his good arm to rub his aching ribs. He punched Sean in the side of his face, making blood start pouring from his mouth. Sean turned and threw Craig into the wall. Craig stumbled back up and hit Sean in the throat with his cast. Sean hesitated for a minute, but proceeded to punch Craig in the stomach.

Craig lowered himself onto the floor, clenching his stomach with his right arm. He tried to push himself back up, but couldn't find the strength to do so. To Sean, he looked like a dying animal that had just been run over by a car. He was weak, defenseless, and in pain. He was about to turn and help him back up, apologize, but he couldn't. He opened the door, and a girl walking by looked in and said, "Oh my God, is he okay?"

She pointed in at Craig, who was lying on the floor, unable to lift himself back up. He wondered how great the bathroom upstairs must be if there was no one else coming into this one. Several students crowded around the door, and one of the members of the crowd was Marco. He rushed to Craig's side, turning him over onto his back. He was followed shortly by Spinner and Jimmy. Spinner shut the door, blocking the view from the people outside. Marco sat next to him.

"Craig, what happened?" he asked. Craig didn't answer, but he still held his stomach. He moaned.

"Guys, we have to get him to the nurse," Marco said simply. Spinner nodded. He took one of Craig's arms, helping him up. Jimmy followed the two out, making sure there'd be enough room for him to leave. Craig almost stumbled forward.

When they got him to the nurse, she had him lie down on one of the beds. "Just lay here and you can leave when you feel better," she said. Craig nodded.

Marco kneeled down next to Craig who was lying on his back on the bed. "Who did this to you?" he asked. Craig moaned again. Marco sighed and said, "I'll ask later when you can say something more."

Craig smiled weakly and closed his eyes. He heard the three boys leave his presence, and started dozing off.

He left sometime before lunch, partly because he was half-asleep the entire time. He lifted his shirt up a little and saw a bruise forming around the bruises that had already been there from the accident. Now his ribs hurt even more than they had, and it hurt to take deep breaths.

He walked into the cafeteria and sat between Spinner and Marco.

"Hey, Craig," Spinner said coolly. "Finally out of the hospital, eh?" Craig nodded. "Hey, you don't talk," Spinner added. "That's weird." Craig inhaled softly before talking.

"I talk. It hurts when I do, though," he said.

"Okay," said Jimmy. "Is there a story behind you ending up lying on the bathroom floor?" Craig nodded.

"I got in a fight with Sean. If I didn't have this lame-ass broken arm, I would've kicked his ass."

"So Sean's the one that made you end up on the floor?" Marco asked.

"Yeah," Craig muttered. "First he threw me into the wall and then he punched me in the stomach. That's the kind of thing that makes me wish I spent half my life working out."

Jimmy laughed.

"Spinner can kick Sean's ass for you," he suggested.

"I would do it myself," Craig said. "But like I said, you can't really do much with a broken arm."

"Cool," said Spinner. "I like kickin' ass." Everyone laughed, but Craig stopped and clenched his side.

"Never let your girlfriend make you leave a party," he said.

Later, when Craig was walking down the hall with Spinner and Marco, he saw Sean coming their direction. He was walking behind Spinner, alongside Marco, and Spinner glared at Sean. Sean stared up at Craig, Spinner watching him the whole time. "What?" Craig said blankly. Sean shook his head and kept walking.

Spinner stopped. "I'm sure if you have something to say, you can say it in front of me and Marco, Cameron," he said. Sean turned around.

"It's nothing," he said simply.

"It's not nothing. You giving someone a beat-down while they're injured is not nothing. It's like if I rolled Jimmy down a hill. That's not nothing. That's just…wrong. You don't roll people in wheelchairs down hills. Fun as it sounds…"

"What's your point, _Mason_?" Sean said loudly.

"My point is, what you did to Craig was wrong. And Craig can't even do anything by himself because his arm's broken."

"Is this information or something?" Sean asked. "Because you're making us all late for class."

"It's not information, Cameron. But I am telling you that after school, I'm taking you down. Not just for Craig, but for all those people with injuries who get beaten down because of people like you." Sean laughed.

"You. Take me down. That's funny. But if you insist, then I have no choice. I'll see you after school." The two shook hands, Spinner tossing him aside afterwards. Craig didn't say anything against the fight. Spinner was doing this on his own free will, and he wasn't going to stop him now. "I don't think I've used that many big words in one setting any time before this," said Spinner.

News of the fight spread quickly throughout the school, fortunately not reaching any teachers or other administration.

After School

"Aren't you coming to the fight?" Spinner asked Craig as they emerged from the school.

"Nah," said Craig. "Joey wants me home now."

"Joey's not gonna be home 'til six," Spinner said quickly.

"Yeah, but he'll call, and Caitlin's there, so…"

"Just call her and tell her you're running late because Simpson made you organize your locker."

"Right. Joey's friends with Simpson; I think he knows him well enough to know that Simpson doesn't care about my locker."

"Okay, tell him that Ms. Hatzilakos made you clean out your locker."

"Fine," Craig said. "I'm only staying ten minutes afterwards." He called the house phone, and no one picked up.

"Whatever," he muttered. "Who cares…" So, he stayed the extra ten minutes. The fight was pretty boring. Craig considered leaving a few minutes after it started.

It was pretty much just them trying to punch each other. Spinner left with a bloody nose and Sean a puffy lower lip, but that was pretty much it.

Craig walked off minutes after it was over. He thought about being lazy and just taking the bus, but he just walked all the way there. His ribs started hurting after a while. He sat on the curb for a minute, holding his side. He heard a car pull up in front of him.

It was Joey, in a car that he must have gotten from the lot in replacement of his other car while it was still in the repair shop. Craig stood up.

"Want a ride?" Joey asked.

"Wanna give me one?" Craig said, opening the door and getting into the car.

"What're you doing off work this early?" asked Craig, rolling the window down all the way.

"I don't know. It was slow today so I decided to just leave. You know I've been thinking…"

"About what? You can't expect me to know what you were thinking about when you say you've been thinking and then tell me nothing else."

"About all of us; me, you, Angie, Caitlin…"

"Listen, Joey, I know Caitlin's always right there, and she defended me from Ash's mom, but…I'm not too hot on Caitlin. After what happened last summer…no, I just can't think as much of her as I used to."

"Craig, you have to let that go. Caitlin and I are back together now…"

"Joey! I'm not letting it go! Caitlin treated you like crap and left you to go get a job in L.A. Then she comes back here and expects everyone to love her again! Guess what---I don't! Sue me, but I can't like her anymore!"

"Anyway, that's not what I was saying."

"Oh, well, then, please continue."

"I was going to say that I wanted you to know that even though I haven't been spending as much time with you as I have Caitlin and Angie, I still love you." Craig sighed. The car stopped in front of the house and Craig got out of the car and shut the door carefully. He went into the house, leaving the door open a little bit for Joey.

Craig was just about to go upstairs when Joey stopped him. "Craig, are you okay?" he asked, looking up at Craig. Craig stood still for a second before turning around and going down the few steps that he'd gone up. He faced Joey.

"You're like, the only adult to say that to me in…well, it's been a long time. And…I need to talk to you. Later. When I rest for a minute or two or twenty. Okay? I'll come back," he said.

"No," said Joey. Craig stared at him. "You're tired. I'll come upstairs to you." Craig nodded and smiled and then slowly went upstairs. Joey watched as his step son nearly fell down the stairs again. "Be careful," Joey said quickly. Craig nodded again and jumped up the last step and disappeared into his room. Craig unbuckled the belt on his jeans and pulled them off with some difficulty. He climbed into his bed and fell asleep.

He woke up a short while later, and lay in bed, awake, staring up at the ceiling. He heard someone come in the room and say, "Craig, are you awake?" He felt the need to say something humorous for himself.

"No," he answered, looking over toward the door, hurting his neck. Joey laughed softly and came in. He sat down on the bed. "You wanted to talk?" he said.

"Yeah," said Craig. "But you have to help me sit up first."

"Okay," Joey said simply. He put a hand behind Craig's back and slowly leaned him upward. He turned and sat on the edge of the bed next to Joey. He picked up a piece of paper off the nightstand that said,

"Things to Talk to Joey About:

- Parent Names

- Getting license/car

- Meds

- Gun Incident

- Accident"

He was proud of himself for being so organized. "Okay…" he muttered. "First of all, I need to talk to you about the words 'Dad' and 'Joey'." Joey nodded in understanding. "People keep asking me why I call you 'Joey' instead of 'Dad'. You're probably not someone who wonders about that kind of thing, but just to clear it up…okay, earlier, you told me you love me. I don't call you 'Dad' because last time I called someone that, they could've killed me. If I called you Dad, I would, for the rest of my life, think of you of the person that beat me and who basically ignored me my entire life. But you're pretty much the exact opposite. You're nice to me, and you're attentive…most of the time. But…you'll always be my dad, and even though I can't say it like that, I would rather have you be my real dad than…well, my actual dad. You'll always be Joey, the guy I live with, who takes care of me, helps me…and…loves me. And I thank you for that. And I need you to understand why you'll always be called Joey."

"I understand," Joey said.

"Good," Craig said, smiling. He took a pencil off his nightstand and crossed off the top of the list.

"Um…do you think I can take driver's ed. and get a license?"

"Yeah," Joey said.

"Okay," Craig said, marking off another. "Oh, yeah. I kind of wanted to talk to you about…the accident. You know, when I went to Sean's party. When I went, I had like, three or four beers, and then…I don't really remember much after that, as I told you before. Are you mad that I got drunk? I mean, I haven't been grounded for…having a gun or running away…or anything."

"No, Craig, I'm not mad at you. Why would I be? I used to be your age once, too, and I did things that I regret now, but making the mistakes made me learn from them, and now I'm who I am now. And I'm not going to ground you because everything you've been doing seems to have enough consequences. I don't wanna be the bad guy here." Craig nodded.

"Thanks, Joey. Uh…" Craig marked off the last one on the list, and the one above it. 'Later,' he thought. "Now…the last thing I really need to talk to you about…is the pills. First thing about them is…do you have $120? I kind of owe some people…"

"Why do you owe some people?" Joey asked suspiciously.

"When I ran away from my dad's, I knew that you wanted me to keep taking them because you want me to get better. So I had Manny and Emma and Jimmy lend me some money so I could get the pills from the pharmacy. And…I kind of owe them."

"Yeah, sure, um…I can have it to you on Wednesday and you can have it then, okay?"

"Okay. Uh…the last thing is…do you think I'm getting better?" Craig asked carefully.

"Yeah," said Joey. "I do. I really think you're getting better. I mean, before you were a little bit…out of it, but you've gotten a lot better since you started taking them."

"Well, okay, then. That's about it. You can continue whatever you were doing before you came up here." Joey nodded and stood up, ready to leave. "Joey!" Craig said quickly. "I almost forgot." He waked over to Joey and hugged him the best he could with the cast and hurt ribs. "Thanks for coming up and talking to me."

"Anytime," Joey said, hugging back slightly. Craig winced and pulled away slowly. He examined Joey's shiny head.

"Uh-oh," he said. Joey looked up at him. "I see some fuzz growing on your head! Quick! Go shave it off!"

"What!" Joey cried. Craig laughed hysterically.

"I'm kidding, Joey! I saw you shaving it this morning. It's fine. It's still shiny." Joey sighed. Craig ran a hand over Joey's head. He smiled coolly as he let Joey leave. And just like that, he was alone again. He sighed and laid back, going to sleep. He woke up a few hours later.

He got up and went into the bathroom. He got undressed and took a shower, careful not to get his cast wet. He got out and rubbed a towel over his hair, getting most of the water out. He got himself dry and put his boxers and a shirt on, going back to his room. He stood in front of his mirror, staring at his reflection.

That's when he realized it—he _was_ alone. But he was sad, too. He couldn't figure it out. He just looked sad. Standing in front of the mirror…alone. It was something he tried not to think about, but he did, and it broke his heart. He pressed his face against the mirror, then pulled away. He stared at the mirror for a second, pulled his right arm back, and felt it as his fist collided with the glass. The mirror shattered to the floor in front of him.

Joey ran up to Craig's room. "Craig!" he shouted. "Are you okay?" He ran over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"No," Craig whispered. "I'm not. I'm alone."

The Next Day, Degrassi

Craig walked through the halls of Degrassi with a white bandage on his hand. The memories of the day before ran through his mind. He stopped at his locker and found a note on the front.

"Craig, please meet me after school. Ash." He sighed and ripped it off, crumpling it up and putting in his pocket. He turned around and Marco was standing there.

"Craig," he said. "I have to tell you something. I'm still gay. I'm not bi anymore. I don't think I ever really was. I know, you probably don't care about this, but I had to tell someone."

"That's cool, Marco," Craig muttered. "Can I tell you something? You have to promise not to tell anyone." Marco nodded. "I'm not taking the meds anymore."

Marco stared at him, but he just walked away.

After school, Craig stood outside, waiting for Ashley. She came up behind him. "Um, hey," she said carefully.

"Hey," he said. "So. What do you want?"

"I've been thinking…"

"Really? I didn't know you could do that," Craig retorted.

"Craig, please. I need to know if you'll forgive me for what I did at the party." Craig stared blankly at her.

"Forgive you? Excuse me? How can you ask forgiveness from me now? How could you stand there, talking to me, knowing what you did? WHY DID YOU LET ME LEAVE THAT PARTY DRUNK?" he shouted.

"Craig, God, I'm so sorry! I knew you were drunk, but I forgot all about you having Joey's car, and I guess I just went overboard, and---"

"Yeah, you did. I could've died!"

"Craig, please, I love you," Ashley pleaded.

"That's what I thought. And then you go and do this."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I." And then he left. And that was the end.

A/N: Okay, that's the end! CrAsh is over…for now. DO NOT FEAR! They WILL be back together…or will they? Okay, gotta go, my Mom's being rude. Later. RRR.


	12. Part 8: Here is Gone

Part 8: Here is Gone

A/N: Okay, so how have y'all been liking this story so far? Hopefully you like it. BTW, keep up the long reviews. They're fun to read. I acted on impulse when I posted the last chapter, but God forbid I make you wait three weeks to read this one! HAAHAA!

Craig Manning couldn't believe what he'd just done. He'd broken up with his girlfriend…the one that had been there for him...most of the time. He opened the front door of the residence where he resided, and closed it slowly behind him. "Craig, could you---" Caitlin began to say.

Craig pushed her aside softly and slowly walked up the stairs. He went into his bedroom, shut the door, and stood, staring around at nothing. He looked over at the closet. The glass from the shattered mirror still coated the floor.

He went to the window, staring out at the sky. He put a hand on the wall next to the window. As he had done the mirror, he pulled his arm back and punched the wall as hard as he could. He turned around and punched another section of the wall. He picked up his lamp and threw it across the room. "WHY IN THE HELL DID I DO THAT?" he shouted. "HOW STUPID CAN ONE PERSON BE?"

Downstairs, Caitlin was on the phone, calling Joey. "Hello?" said Joey.

"Joey, I think Craig has a problem," Caitlin said calmly.

"What's the problem?" Joey asked.

"He's…I think he's trashing his room," Caitlin answered. Joey sighed heavily.

"I'm making a sale right now I'll be home soon, okay?" he said.

"Okay," Caitlin answered. They told each other goodbye and hung up.

Caitlin stood at the bottom of the stairs, and went up slowly and quietly to her and Joey's room. She walked by Craig's room, where he was still trashing it. The door was closed, and all she could hear were things breaking.

She walked into the room she shared with Joey, and sat on the bed. She covered her ears to block the sounds of Craig's belongings being thrown against the wall. 'You can stop anytime now,' she thought.

About a half-hour later, Joey was back. "Caitlin? Craig?" he called. He went upstairs and found Caitlin lying on the bed.

"Caitlin? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, I'm tired. Craig's…in his room," she said quietly. Joey nodded and went down the hall to Craig's room. He opened the door slowly. The room was a mess. "Craig?" he said carefully, taking a step inside. He almost tripped over the remains of Craig's lamp.

"Craig!" he said again. He heard some shuffling coming from the closet, and he stepped over the glass that hadn't been vacuumed from the floor yet. He went inside the closet. "Craig?"

He saw Craig in the shadows of the dark closet. He slid down to the floor next to Craig.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Craig shook his head. "What happened?"

Craig sighed. "I'm stupid. That's what happened."

"You being stupid has nothing to do with trashing your room," Joey said coolly.

"Yeah, it does. I'm stupid. I…my God…I…me and Ash…we broke up."

"Oh, Craig…" Joey said softly. "You'll be okay."

"I want to believe you, Joey. I can't. I'm not gonna be okay. Now I feel stupid because I'm the one that broke up with her. She's probably at home right now, crying her eyes out because I can't control myself."

"Why don't you call her?" Joey suggested.

"Her mom will pick up the phone and yell at me again."

"Well, then…"

"Well, then, nothing. I can't talk to her at school. I can never talk to her again."

"You'll be able to talk to her."

"No I won't. She probably hates me."

"If she hated you, she wouldn't be at home crying her eyes out because of you."

Craig was silent. He thought about what Joey had just said.

"If she hated me, she'd cry her eyes out in front of her mom. She's not at home. She's at Ellie's. It's typical of her. Meanwhile, Sean's watching TV in the living room because Ash and Ellie took up the bedroom."

Joey smiled. "So are you gonna come out of this closet anytime soon?" he asked.

"Define soon," Craig answered.

"Anytime in the extremely near future; an hour or two."

"Then, no."

"Why not?"

"Because that doesn't give me enough time to think."

"Then when are you coming out?"

"When I feel like it."

"Okay, then." Joey stood, ready to leave.

"Where're you going?" Craig demanded. "I never said you could leave. Sit down." Joey sat back down obediently.

"I'm not always gonna be this nice," Joey muttered.

"Yeah you are," Craig said simply.

"Okay, but don't rub it in."

"I won't, pillow."

"Pillow?" Joey said blankly.

"Yep," Craig said, leaning his head onto Joey's lap. "You're a good pillow."

"That's nice to know," Joey said. The two were quiet for a few minutes.

"I miss Mom," Craig said out of nowhere.

"I miss her, too," Joey responded.

"She made good food," Craig said calmly. "But I'm still mad at her."

"Why?" Joey asked.

"Because she left without saying goodbye to me first." Joey sighed.

"She loved you," he said. He'd told Craig that so many times.

"I know." Craig fell asleep with his head on Joey's lap.

Joey watched him as he slept. He looked peaceful; content. He listened to him breathing, and fell asleep, too.

It was hours until he woke up to Caitlin. "Joey!" she hissed. Joey slowly opened his eyes, the events of the last few hours coming back to him. "What do you want for dinner?"

"I don't care," Joey mumbled groggily. "Make anything." Caitlin glanced at Craig, still sleeping on Joey's lap.

"Poor kid," Caitlin muttered.

"He broke up with Ashley," Joey said quietly. Caitlin nodded in understanding, and then went back downstairs. Joey watched Craig as he slept again. He breathed calmly.

"Joey, tell Caitlin I want a sandwich— white bread, white turkey. No crusts. Okay?" Craig said suddenly.

"Yeah, okay," Joey said. "How long have you been awake?"

"Since Caitlin was trying to wake you up. Actually, since she came in here. I heard someone tripping over stuff, and that was undoubtedly Caitlin, and I didn't want her to know I was up, so I sat here until you woke up."

"Oh. You don't care that I told her about you and Ashley?"

"No. And if I had been sleeping, I wouldn't have known anyway. It doesn't bother me that she knows. The world will know by tomorrow."

"Okay, well…get off of me or you won't get your sandwich." Craig sighed and got off.

"You really do make a nice pillow, Joey," he added.

"You know, you could give me a different name. The name 'Joey' is starting to sound a little bit odd."

"Okay. You really do make a nice pillow, Jo-Jo." Craig smiled as Joey left the room. He doubted Joey liked his new name, but he didn't care. About ten minutes later, he went downstairs. Caitlin looked up. "Your sandwich is in the fridge," she said. Craig nodded, opened the fridge and took his sandwich. He took a bite out of it. He walked over to the counter where Caitlin was doing something.

He hugged her from behind quickly and said, "Thanks for the sandwich."

"Anytime," Caitlin said. Craig sat down on the couch and finished his sandwich. Joey came and sat down to watch TV. Craig leaned his head on Joey's shoulder and looked up at him.

"Hi, Joey," he said casually.

"Hi, Craig," Joey said tonelessly.

"Are you mad at me?" Craig asked in a confused voice.

"No," Joey answered. "Why?"

"Because you sound mad at me. Sort of like Ash. I think Ash is mad at me. She sounds mad at me. I really wouldn't know because I haven't talked to her. You know, we broke up today? Yeah. Pretty upsetting. Very upsetting… That's why I messed up my room. Because I'm mad at myself. I think everyone's mad at me. What if Angie's mad at me? What if Caitlin's mad at me? But you're not mad at me, are you, Joey? 'Cause you said you weren't mad at me, so I'll believe you. Nope. You're not mad at me." Joey stared at Craig. "What?" Craig said blankly.

"Are you okay?" Joey asked.

"I don't think so. I think I had too much coffee this morning. But I didn't have coffee this morning. Coffee's gross. I had coffee at the Dot once. It burnt me. I'm mad at the coffee now. What if the coffee's mad at me? I think you are mad at me. I think you lied to me. Again. Yep. You lied to me. You are mad at me, aren't you? Everyone's mad at me!" Craig sat up straight. He began hyperventilating. He looked over at Caitlin. "Caitlin, are you mad at me? Wait, why am I asking you? You could lie to me just like Joey! Craig looked over at Angie, who was sitting with Caitlin at the table. "But dear, sweet, younger sister Angie wouldn't lie to me. Are you mad at me, Angie?"

"Uh…I don't think so," Angie answered.

"Ah…see? Angie's not mad at me. But you two are! You're both against me! Joey, you're mad at me because I wrecked your car, aren't you? And…Caitlin, you're just mad at me because you want to spite me! Why is everyone mad at me?" Craig cried. He stood up and headed for the door. Joey beat him to it.

"Move Mr. Mad at Craig," Craig demanded. Joey glared at him.

"You're not leaving this house," he said simply.

"You're mad because…because…because you don't have the wonderful life that you used to, aren't you, Jo-Jo? Because you got stuck with…with…ME!" Craig shouted. "And you hate me!"

"I don't hate you, Craig. I'm worried about you."

"Don't worry about me! You lie! You're mad at me and you hate me!"

"Craig, come on!"

"NO!" Craig said loudly. "I'm leaving!"

"No, you're not," Joey protested.

"Yes, I am. And Mr. Mad at Craig isn't going to make me stay in this house when everyone's mad at me!"

"I'm not letting you leave. I can't be sure that you'll come back!"

"I'll come back! I don't know why, but I will! I'll come back! One day! Later! I need to leave!"

"Why do you need to leave?"

"So I can have fresh air because something in here makes me feel like I'm in jail again!" Everyone was quiet.

"So can I please just…go outside or something?" Craig asked quietly. Joey sighed.

"I can't let you," Joey said. "It's too dangerous."

"You let me go outside every other day! Why not now? Did you just wake up this morning and say to yourself, 'I think I'll hate Craig today'?"

"No. I never hated you. Listen, I won't let you go outside right now. It's too late."

"It's not too late! I just want to go sit outside! Please!" Craig cried. Joey looked at him sadly.

"No," he whispered. Craig closed his eyes and sighed.

"Move," he said. Joey stood there, staring at Craig.

"I'm not moving," he said calmly.

"Then you need help," Craig answered, pushing Joey to the side. He had his hand on the doorknob when Joey grabbed his left shoulder and pushed him against the door.

"I can't let you leave," he shouted. Craig shoved Joey, almost making him fall into the stairs. Joey stood up straight pushed Craig back into the door. "You're not leaving!" he said.

"Stop pushing me!" said Craig, pushing Joey in the shoulder. Joey pushed Craig's shoulder back. Craig turned and hit Joey in the face with back of his hand. Caitlin stood up from the table, expecting what happened next. When Joey's fist came in contact with Craig's face, she sighed heavily.

Craig stared at Joey. He wasn't supposed to hit back. Joey had surprised himself with hitting Craig back at all.

Craig stood, gaping at him. He slowly lifted a hand to where Joey had hit him. He blinked several times. He wasn't mad now. He was more…confused, betrayed. Joey had never hit him before, or even acted like he would. But now, something just came over him where he would hit him.

Joey opened his mouth to say something, but Craig wasn't ready to listen. "Don't even try," he muttered before quickly turning, opening the door and slamming it behind him. Joey sighed and bowed his head. Caitlin came over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "It'll be okay," she whispered. "He just needs some time."

Joey looked up and said, "I can't let him run around. It's cold and dark outside." He picked the keys up from the car that he borrowed from the lot and ran out to find Craig. He drove around for about two hours. He thought that he'd be able to find him quickly, since he left shortly after Craig had. Unfortunately, this was not the case. He went home, giving up the search for his step son. He walked in the door and found that Caitlin wasn't there, either. He went upstairs and Angie was asleep in bed. He looked in Craig's room, and Craig was nor in his room or his closet. Checking his own room, Caitlin wasn't there. He scoffed and sat down on his bed.

"I disgust myself," he muttered. He took a picture off of his nightstand; a picture of he and Craig that was taken about a year ago. He threw it to the floor. He buried his face in his hands. "Why? Why do I do stupid things?" He sat there for a few minutes, until he heard the front door open. He stood up from the bed, and went to the top of the stairs. Craig walked in, followed by Caitlin. He slowly went down the stairs. He walked into the kitchen, where Craig was sitting down at the table. Caitlin was at the freezer, getting some ice and putting it into a small plastic bag. She handed it to Craig, who rested the ice on his face. Caitlin put a hand on Craig's back, muttered something to him. Craig nodded, then she said, "Okay," and stood up straight. She looked up and saw Joey. She stared at him for a minute.

"Um…" she said. Craig looked up and saw Joey. They made eye contact for a moment. Craig's eyes were red and filled with sadness. Caitlin pulled Joey away and led him into the living room.

"Joey, what were you thinking?" she hissed angrily as the two sat down on the couch.

"I don't know! It was a mistake! A really big mistake! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"I think you're telling that to the wrong person," Caitlin said, gesturing over at Craig, who was resting his head on the table, facing away from Joey and Caitlin, holding the ice pack to the side of his face.

"Where was he?" Joey asked.

"He was in the garage. You need to stop assuming that he ran away!"

"Oh," Joey said quietly.

"Yeah. 'Oh.'" Caitlin stood up and went back over to the table, sitting down next to Craig. She put a hand on his arm and said, "Craig, it's almost nine. I think it's about time you went to bed." Craig nodded slowly and stood up.

He walked past Joey, glancing at him quickly, and then returning his gaze to the floor. He walked slowly upstairs. Taking a last glance at Joey, he turned and walked into his room. He stepped over everything that was strewn all over the floor. He took his jeans and shirt off (with difficulty), and crawled into bed. He couldn't sleep, however. He couldn't stop thinking about the night's events.

When he'd left the house, he'd gone straight into the garage. Caitlin knew where to find him. When she did, he looked distraught. The two had talked until Joey came back. Craig's face had become red and swollen; there was a small scratch where his fist had hit him. His mouth had been bleeding on the inside, but he'd just swallowed the blood because he didn't want to make a mess all over the garage. "Why do I have to live here?" he whispered to himself. "Why did he have to do that?"

He finally fell asleep.

The Next Morning

Craig woke up in the morning with his face hurting. He went into the bathroom, took a shower, then examined the area right beneath his eye. It was bruised and swollen. He was amazed at how hard tiny Joey could hit. Of course, maybe Joey wasn't as small as he looked. Either way, if Joey had been copying Craig, then he should've refrained from balling up his hand into a fist and punching him. Still, Joey shouldn't have hit him at all. Craig still had a feeling that Joey was mad at him.

He got dressed and went back to his room. He looked out the window. Great. Rain. He trudged over his belongings that were broken on the floor, and went downstairs slowly. He sat down at the table across from Joey. He didn't eat anything; he drank some orange juice, though. Caitlin handed Craig some money.

"Here, Craig. It's the $120."

"Thanks, Caitlin," Craig croaked, taking the money and putting it into his pocket. He finished drinking his juice and sat up from the table. "Okay, I gotta go," he said. He held his broken arm close to him as he went to the door.

"Do you want a ride?" Caitlin offered. "It's pouring down rain."

"Nah," Craig said quietly. "I'll walk." Caitlin shrugged and Craig left. After a few minutes, he wished that he had taken up Caitlin's offer; he was actually starting to get cold. His side had stopped hurting (finally), and he looked up at his school, which everyone was rushing into.

He stood there in the rain for about three minutes, then slowly went up the few steps and into the doors. He approached his locker and got a pen out of it, shoving it into his pocket.

After thinking for a split second, he found Jimmy and handed him seventy dollars. "Told you I'd pay you back," he said coolly. Jimmy smiled, satisfied and put the money in his own pocket.

"What happened to your face?" he asked. Craig was quiet for a second before coming up with an excuse.

"I fell," he said smoothly. Jimmy looked at Craig suspiciously and shook his head.

"You fell," Jimmy repeated.

"I fell! Isn't that a good enough answer for you?" Craig said loudly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It…I'll tell you later." Jimmy nodded in understanding, and Craig walked away. He strolled around, almost aimlessly, until he found Emma and Manny, talking at Emma's locker.

"Hey," he said. "I've got your money." The two girls smiled as Craig handed them the money they lent him for his prescription.

"Aw, Craig, what happened to you?" Emma asked worriedly.

"I fell," Craig said quickly. Emma and Manny looked at each other.

"What'd you fall on?" Manny asked, running two fingers softly over the bruise.

"On the side of the table," Craig answered. Lying was getting easier.

"Ouch," Manny and Emma said at the same time.

"Oh, Craig, I heard that you and Ashley broke up yesterday…I'm sorry," Manny said softly.

"Oh, uh…don't be sorry, it's not your fault."

"I think it is," Manny muttered. "If I hadn't talked to you, then you two would still be together."

"No, Manny. Ash and me…I talked to you first. It's my fault. Don't worry about it." Manny sighed, just as the bell rang.

Craig rushed to class. He sat down next to Jimmy at the end of the row. Several people stared at him. It was either because of his face or because of the breakup yesterday, but he was convinced it was both.

He went online and ignored everything Mr. Simpson said. He played some games that he found at some website. He looked up every so often and always found someone staring at him. He'd roll his eyes and continue with his game. Once, he looked up and saw Ashley walking by the classroom. The two stared at each other for a second before she kept walking.

Craig sighed heavily and continued with his game. A window popped up on his screen, and it was an email. He opened it.

It said, 'Why did you break up with Ashley? She's so sad now. She's sorry about the party. –Ellie'. Craig looked over at Ellie, who was looking right back at him.

He wrote back. 'I was being stupid yesterday. I'm pissed off at myself. I'll take care of it. – Craig.' Ellie opened her email and read it. She gave Craig a sad smile. Craig found it increasingly hard to type with his left arm in a cast, but it wasn't that hard.

When class was finally over, Craig pushed past everyone else and ran over to Ashley's locker. He waited for her to get there, and when she did, she ignored him, opened her locker, and replaced one book with another.

"Ash, listen, please—I talked to Ellie, sort of, and she says that you're really upset. And I'm sorry. I was being stupid yesterday, and I trashed my room and I got in a fight with Joey, and—"

Ashley turned around. Her eyes were brimming with tears. "Is that why your eye's bruised?" she asked. Craig looked her directly in the eye. "Yeah," he muttered. "It is." She ran her finger over it slowly, then spoke.

"Is it really over?" she asked, almost silently.

"I don't want it to be," Craig answered in the same voice. Ashley dropped her book on the floor and hugged Craig. He hugged her back, wincing at the pain it brought his ribs when she hugged him tighter. He had hoped that the pain would've been gone for good; unfortunately, it wasn't.

Everyone watched as the two were together. That was the shortest amount of time the two had been broken up. They stood there, safe in each other's arms for about a minute, then Craig pulled back and kissed Ashley's forehead.

"I still love you," he whispered, putting an arm around her waist. He knelt down and picked up the book she had tossed to the floor. The two walked to class together. They talked throughout the entire class. When they weren't actually speaking, they were passing notes. Their notes came to an abrupt end when Ms. Kwan came over to them and snatched the paper they were writing on. Craig sighed. Ms. Kwan unfolded the paper. She read it out loud.

"'Haha. I like writing notes; they're fun.

Craig, you like doing anything fun.

That's the point, right?

Yeah, but…

Don't start talking about butts, Ash, that's gross.

Calling me gross?

What was the last thing I did that was gross?

Uh….

Exactly.

Craig!

Ash!

sigh.

Don't sigh at me.

LOL.

Lalalala.

Craig, you're weird.

What would your point be?

I don't think there is one.

Oh. Well, then.

Hey, Craig?

What?

Nothing.

Hey, Ash. I have something to tell everyone.

What is it?

MONKEY BUTTS!'"

Everyone burst out in laughter as Ms. Kwan read the last line. Ashley gave Craig a high five, as they had pulled off the joke successfully.

"Ashley and Craig, can I see you after class?" Ms. Kwan said loudly, tossing the paper back at Craig. Craig nodded. "Busted!" Spinner shouted from the back of the room.

"Gavin," Ms. Kwan warned.

"Sorry," Spinner said, leaning back in his chair. Ashley and Craig exchanged smirks before bursting out again. They cowered back down into their chairs, still barely containing their laughter.

After class, Craig and Ashley walked up to Ms. Kwan's desk. All they got was a lecture about respect for teachers and after-school detention.

"Whatever," Craig said loudly as he walked out of the room, Ashley following him.

They went to after-school detention, and just sat around talking. Ms. Kwan had been out of the room the entire time anyway.

Afterward, Craig and Ashley 'hung out' in Craig's garage.

A/N: Okay, I know. There's a lot of fast transitioning. Joey and Craig make up in the following chapter. BTW, I'm running out of things to name these chapters. All suggestions for the story itself and the titles of the chapters are welcome. HOWEVER, I've already written part 9, so suggestions for part 10 are up for consideration. I'll start on part 10 after I get a few reviews on this one. Tell me what you like and don't like. RRR. Love, moi. Oh, yeah. Part 9's like... 15,000 words. I know. It's SO long. But...yeah. You get the idea. It took me forever to write. And the point of the story isn't really told until the last 2,000 words. But you'll miss a lot if you don't read the entire chapter.


	13. Part 9: Things I'll Never Say

Part 9: Things I'll Never Say

A/N: Okay. Craig and Joey make up in this one. That's around the beginning. It's a very, very long beginning. BUT YOU MUST READ IT! Hellogoodbye123, I'll put that idea into Part 10…mmkay? Craig starts sneaking around and Ash is suspicious and thinks that he's cheating on her. Will she find out that Craig is cheating on her again? Or will she, Spinner, Sean, Marco, and Jay find out something else? READ IT AND YOU'LL KNOW! DUH! WHAT KIND OF PERSON WOULD I BE IF I JUST TOLD YOU THE ANSWER IN AN AUTHOR'S NOTE? DUH! Okay, the first part is kind of off of the subject of this entire chapter, BUT that's not the point. That's just how this story goes along. This is SO long. You probably won't be able to read it all in one sitting. And if you are able to, you're probably the type that has no life at all. Kidding. If this was made into an episode, it would actually have to be more like a movie. Holy crap. So...yeah. This Author's Note is long enough to make a movie out of. Kidding. Anway...

Craig was a little disappointed when Ashley left his garage at around seven. They'd spent about three-and-a-half hours in there, talking, among other things. It wasn't so much that she'd left, but the fact that now he had to go in the house itself and face Joey. The night before, Craig admitted, he'd gotten a little weirded out, but that gave Joey no excuse to hit him. It wasn't because it hurt, which it did, but the fact that he'd done it at all. Especially when Joey knew about Craig's past, there was not much warning when he pulled back and punched him right under his eye.

His cheekbone was still in pain. He slowly walked up to the house, but decided to sit on the single step that was about four inches from the ground. He sat there, staring out into nothing. He heard the click of the doorknob as it turned. He turned around. To his dismay, it was Joey. He stood up, about ready to go to the garage.

"Craig," Joey said quickly. Craig ignored him and went to the garage. Joey followed him. "Craig!" he shouted.

Craig sat down on the old couch. Joey ran into the garage, and Craig turned onto his other side, keeping his arms close to himself. He curled up into a ball and sat in silence. Joey sat down next to him. He rolled off the couch and stood up straight before retreating to the house.

He ran up to his room and slammed the door behind him. He locked it and jumped onto his bed. Someone came up and started knocking on his door. He picked up his guitar and laid it on his bed. He plugged it back into the mini-amp that was lying on its side on the floor. He turned it up as far as it would go and slammed his hand across the strings.

The sound alone was enough to calm him down a little bit. He sat against the back of his bed on a pile of pillows and laid the guitar on his lap. He used his thumb to strum lightly on all six open strings. He missed being able to play it with both hands. He carefully set it back down on the stand.

"This sucks," he muttered to himself.

"Craig?" came Caitlin's voice from the door. Craig stood up and unlocked the door. He opened it.

"Yeah?" he said, bored.

"Um…how have you been doing lately?" Caitlin asked softly. Craig leaned up against the door frame. "Depends," he answered. "Who're you gonna tell?"

"I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to," she said. Craig looked up at her, and could tell that she was looking into his eyes, hoping for some kind of trust from him. Craig sighed, opened the door wider, and let her in.

"Close the door," he said quietly, sitting on the bed. Caitlin sat down next to him. He was quiet for a moment before speaking.

"I've been bad lately. If that's what you really wanted to know." Caitlin put a cold hand on his back.

"I didn't come in here to make sure that your life sucks. What happened yesterday…"

"Caitlin, I don't want to talk about what happened yesterday," Craig said quickly.

"I understand. But I talked to Joey, and—"

"You're on Joey's side, now, aren't you?"

"No! I'm not on anyone's side, especially not his! He shouldn't have done what he did!"

"But he did! And there's nothing that you can say or do or he can say that's gonna make me feel better about yesterday!"

"I didn't even want to talk about Joey! I don't want to talk about Joey! I want to talk to you about _you_!"

"What do you want to talk about, then?" Craig shouted. Caitlin gave a calm sigh.

"Craig," she said. "Yesterday, you trashed this room, and you came downstairs, you were fine, and then you just went off about how you think the world's mad at you!"

"Yeah? So? Is there a point to all this pointless rambling of yours?" Craig said coldly.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because—" Craig started. Caitlin stared at him expectantly.

"Okay, you know about me, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, you have like, seizures or something…" Craig mumbled, standing up and opening the window. He rested his elbows on the windowsill and stared out into the darkness.

"Exactly. And…we know about you."

"Yeah, we do," Craig hissed. "Everyone knows about crazy Craig!"

"You're not crazy, Craig."

"Oh, that's right---I'm not crazy. I'm 'ill'."

"Yes, you are! But it's like with me—I'll have seizures without medications."

"You have a weird 'illness' that you can get brain damage from."

"You have an illness that makes you lose control of yourself."

"I don't lose control of myself! I have perfect control of myself! And that's not the only thing this stupid crap can do to me! I could drive myself even more insane than I am already just from thinking about it! And I wish that everyone would stop talking about it! I'm sick of all this…this…bullshit!" Craig shouted. Caitlin stared at him. She sighed and walked out of the room silently.

He watched as she left and then pulled his arm back and punched the window. The glass shattered and fell onto the floor and the area outside. He pulled his hand back into the room, accidentally running his hand on the glass that was still around the frame of the window. Joey stormed into the room a few seconds later. "What's your problem?" he demanded.

Craig looked up. He was staring at his wrist, which was oozing out blood. Joey ran over to him. His hand was badly cut.

"Joey, help me," he pleaded.

"Okay, okay," Joey muttered. He ran into the bathroom and looked for a towel. He ran back to Craig and put it around the long, wide slit in his arm. The blood drenched it. Craig was starting to feel faint, and he leaned up against the wall. The carpet was stained with blood, as were Craig's clothes.

"God, it's not helping," he whispered. "I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die." Tears of panic and fear ran down his face as he slid down the wall.

"You're not gonna die!" Joey shouted. "You'll be okay! Calm down!" He shouted for Caitlin, who trotted down the hall.

"Call for help!" he said quickly, still trying to stop Craig's bleeding. Caitlin ran downstairs and picked up the phone. She called an ambulance.

Several minutes later, the ambulance got to the front of the house. Craig had already passed out from blood loss. Joey wondered how long he would be in the hospital this time. One week? Two? A month? He climbed into the ambulance with Craig.

The paramedic somehow stopped the bleeding, which had slowed down a lot since he first got cut. "Is he going to be okay?" Joey asked the paramedic.

"It's hard to tell," he answered. "He's lost a lot of blood." Joey buried his face in his hands. He wasn't going to lose him now. He couldn't.

When they arrived at the hospital, Craig was rushed to the ER, where he was given a blood transfusion. He was then put into a room for himself.

Joey was talking to a doctor, who said Craig would be fine with a little bit of rest. He would be out in a week. It wasn't normal that they released patients of 'his condition' that early, but he didn't seem to have anymore problems other than the blood loss. "He'll probably sleep for a while," the doctor added. "How're you related to him again?"

"I'm his…uh…step dad," Joey answered uncertainly.

"Married to his mother?"

"I was. She died a few years ago."

The doctor nodded. "How'd he cut himself, anyway?"

"That's a good question. I think it was from when he punched his window."

"What'd he punch his window for?"

"I don't know," Joey said calmly. "He likes punching things."

"Well, if you want, you can stay with him, or you can go home and I can have a nurse stay with him until her shift is over or he wakes up."

"No, no, it's okay. You don't have to do that. He'll be fine." The doctor nodded again, and Joey said goodbye to the sleeping Craig and left.

He called Caitlin and she came and picked him up. The drive home was silent. Joey went upstairs to Craig's room. Randomly, he started picking up Craig's belongings and putting them in their proper spots. He made the bed and took all of his clothes downstairs to be washed. He organized his shoes and CDs. He picked the lamp up and put the lampshade back on it, setting it back on the nightstand. He vacuumed the glass from the mirror and the window. He got stain remover and cleaned the blood stains out from the carpet.

He wasn't quite sure what to do about the window, but he carefully removed the large shards that still remained in the pane. He threw them in the garbage. He went into the bathroom and found a small, soft towel. He brought it back into Craig's room, picked up a bottle of guitar cleaner from the table, and made the guitar clean, smooth, and shiny. He held the neck of the guitar with the towel and set it back onto the stand. He heard a buzz come from downstairs, signaling that the dryer was done. He ran downstairs and put the load of Craig's clothes into the basket, rushing them back upstairs. He hung each article of clothing on a separate hanger, then put them in the closet.

He ran the vacuum over the carpet again, then looked over at the two holes that Craig had left in the wall. He got an idea.

He rushed to the garage and got the poster of guitar chords that Craig had on the wall. He carefully rolled it up and went back up to Craig's room. He covered the holes with the poster, pinned it on the wall, and smiled to himself.

He backed up into the door frame, looking around the clean, organized room. Joey smiled softly and went down the hall. It was 1:38 in the morning now, but he felt happy that he'd helped Craig by cleaning his room.

The Next Day, the Hospital

Joey Jeremiah watched as his step son slept. About nineteen stitches were visible along his right arm, and scars that had been bleeding the night before all over the back of his hand. Joey couldn't help but feel a little bit responsible for Craig's being in the hospital. If he hadn't hit him, he probably wouldn't have gotten mad at Caitlin, punched the window, and sliced his arm. Same with him being in the short coma. If he hadn't let him take the car, he wouldn't have gotten hurt. And with him getting shot; he lied to him. He felt like everything was his fault.

He fell asleep with his head in his hands, sleeping until he heard a loud moan. He sat up immediately and looked up. Craig was rolling around in his bed, moaning and, oddly, crying.

"Craig! Craig!" Joey shouted, trying to grab his shoulders. He finally did, and he held him as well as he could. Craig eventually stopped rolling around. He opened his eyes and sat up. He looked down at his arm, then up at Joey. He ran his hand across his cheekbone. He stared at Joey with the same look he had when Julia died. The look that said, "Tell me this isn't happening."

He looked at Joey for another half-minute, and then he wrapped his arms around him. He let out a long breath that he'd been subconsciously holding in. "Why is this happening to me?" he whispered. "Why?"

"I don't know," Joey answered, holding him. "I don't know." He laid Craig back down on the bed. "You need to rest," he said. Craig frowned.

"I'm cold and I'm bored and I don't want to rest," he muttered.

"I'll get you another blanket. I don't know what else you want me to do, but I can get the blanket."

"Fine," Craig said angrily. "I hate you, too." Joey turned around.

"I never said I hated you," he said.

"You don't have to," Craig retorted.

"If I hated you, I wouldn't have had Caitlin call an ambulance and you would've bled to death!"

"Good! You should've let me!" Joey stared at Craig in awe. How could he think that he hated him? None of this made any sense to him. He sighed heavily as the words tore into his heart.

"I wouldn't let you die!" he shouted.

"Why not? It's what I want! There's nothing left! Obviously, getting drunk didn't help me, and I can't even bleed to death! Sean didn't let me die! I hate Sean for it! He should've just let me stand there! There's a lot that could've happened without me. There's a lot that could've been prevented without me! Ash would probably live in London with her dad; Spinner and Paige would probably still be together, and Jimmy wouldn't be in a wheelchair, and my parents would still be alive!" Joey stared at Craig for a second, then turned and left the room. He realized that the subject of his parents was hard on everyone. Especially he and Joey.

He sighed and leaned back on the bed. Tears fell freely once again as he brought his knees to his chest. He thought about everything. Everything being his parents, Joey, Ashley, Caitlin, his arm, and his problems…his problems. Everything seemed to be his problems. Joey and Caitlin were a problem; they were his stand-in parents. He didn't have real parents anymore; they divorced and died. And Ashley…she wasn't as much of a problem as she was a support system. His arms…he shuddered at the thought of what other kinds of hell he could put them through. He wanted to die. He didn't get drunk at the party with that thought, or punch the window or the mirror…he was…he would say mad at himself, but he couldn't say as much.

He didn't know how he felt or what he was feeling. He didn't know what he wanted. He wanted to make everyone happy, but that wasn't going to happen. He worried more about what he was going to do with his life. Should he just live with it? Graduate from school, get married, go to college…? Or should he demand that Joey put him in a mental hospital? Or…maybe he could just prevent any of that from happening…and die. His options were few, but he knew that someway, he'd have to make a decision. It was hard.

He couldn't leave Ashley alone…depressed. She could kill herself in the angst of it all. He would be safe in the mental hospital. He wouldn't hurt himself or anyone else. He could sit in a straight jacket in a padded room, and he wouldn't have to take the stupid pills anymore. Never again.

Joey came back a few minutes later. He sat down on the bed next to Craig, who was still sobbing, holding his knees to his chest. He put a hand on Craig's back, rubbing it slowly. He put his other arm around his neck, pulling him closer to him.

"Shhh…" he whispered. "It's okay. It's okay. It'll be okay someday." He tried to block out the sobs that were coming from his step son, overwhelmed by the subject of his family. He couldn't. Even though Craig was seventeen, and he was a senior in high school, he needed this. He had been starved for actual love and attention most of his life. And he felt guilty for contributing to it. And he was the one who said Craig needed to stay with his father after Julia divorced him. He knew that Craig used to hate him. Every time he would come to see his mom, he would ignore everything Joey said, glared at him…and now he knew why. He'd left the nine-year-old with his abusive father.

After a few minutes, the sobbing stopped, and Craig looked up. His eyes and face were red, and he gave a small, sad smile. His eyes told him what his mouth didn't need to. Joey nodded, hugged him once more, and sat back on the chair next to the bed.

Four Days Later

Craig slept peacefully on the white hospital bed of room 294. It looked exactly like the one he'd been in just two weeks before. He felt someone stroking his hair smoothly. He sighed softly and slowly opened his eyes. He looked up into the eyes of his girlfriend, Ashley Kerwin.

"Hey, Craig, how are you doing?" she asked quietly, covering his hand in hers. Craig smiled and said,

"I'm okay. What're you doing here? What time is it?"

"I'm here to see you, and it's during school hours, so don't tell anyone I was here." Craig laughed.

"Hey, don't stop," he whispered. Ashley sat closer to Craig and ran her fingers through his hair. Craig closed his eyes and sighed.

Ashley leaned in and kissed him. Craig kept his eyes closed.

"I love you, too," he said. She wanted to ask him exactly what happened to his arm, but he seemed so happy and content right now, she couldn't. She stood up from the chair and took her shoes off. She slowly climbed into the hospital bed with Craig. She faced him and he smiled. He put an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. It hurt his elbow to lay on his cast, but he didn't mind because he was with her. He turned over onto his back, and Ashley rested her head on his chest. Craig covered her with the blankets. She started to fall asleep, but thought about the consequences; she could fall asleep, sleep in there for hours, not wake up until the middle of the night. Her mom would have the police out looking for her. The school could call her mom, and she would, again, try to stop her from seeing Craig again.

'She can go to hell. He needs me,' she thought. She kissed him again, and rested her hand on his chest.

She slid her hand under his shirt, running her fingers across his stomach and chest. This lulled both of them to sleep.

Craig woke up hours later. He opened his eyes extremely slowly, still tired. He saw Ashley, and softly ran his fingers along her side. He sighed contently, and looked to his right.

"Joey!" he whispered. Joey looked up from whatever he was doing. Joey gave him a small smile.

"Hey, Craig," he muttered.

"What time is it?" Craig asked.

"It's 9:30," Joey answered. Craig stared at him, and then glanced over at the window. It was dark outside, and rain beat against the glass. He gently shook Ashley's shoulder.

"Ash, come on, you've gotta get up. Your mom's gonna call the cops and we'll both be in trouble." Ashley raised her head slowly, then looked at Craig.

"My mom can go to hell," she said quietly. "You need someone right now."

"Ash, I understand what you're saying. But right now, you need to go to bed so you can go to school tomorrow. Joey's gonna stay with me tonight. You'll come back tomorrow, right?" Ashley sighed, annoyed.

"Fine," she said. "I see that I'm not welcome here." A smile crept up on her lips as she put her shoes back on. She leaned down and kissed Craig for the last time that night. She wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "I'll come back tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ash," Craig said, watching her as she left. He looked over at Joey.

"So," he said. "What's up, Joey?"

"Nothing; I was just coming to make sure you were still alive." He smiled as he said this.

"I'm fine right now," Craig said calmly. "For now."

"You're getting another blood transfusion tomorrow," said Joey.

"Great. Blood transfusions! Great…" Craig murmured sarcastically.

"You need the blood. You lost a lot of it when you got…hurt."

"I always get hurt. Why do I need blood all of a sudden? I can be weak whenever I feel like it. Hell, Marco made me weak. That should tell you something."

"Craig, you're not weak."

"Yeah, I am."

"You're stronger than most people."

"Prove it." That was the end of the conversation that they'd gone through time and time again.

Wednesday Night

Craig had just gotten home to Joey's about ten minutes ago. He'd talked to Caitlin while he was at the hospital, and they talked about…everything. Caitlin had made him the turkey sandwich that he adored. He ate it happily as he leaned on Joey's shoulder, eating the sandwich and watching TV. When he was done with the sandwich, he hugged Joey quickly and walked toward the stairs.

He trotted up them and went to his room. He opened the door and found what Joey had done to it. Clean. Organized. Really clean. Really organized. He went to his closet where all of his shirts, jeans, and shoes were. He jumped onto his bed, lying on his back.

"Thanks, Joey!" he shouted from his bed.

"You're welcome!" Joey shouted back. He rolled over onto his side and found a small piece of paper on his dresser. It said, 'People that called—Spinner, Emma, Manny, Marco, Jimmy, Sean". He wondered why Sean would call. They were supposed to hate each other now. Whatever. He'd just talk to them all at school. Except Sean. Sean…Sean could just…go away.

When he got up for school the next morning, and after his shower, he rummaged around through all the hangers in his closet until he found the sweatshirt that his dad had bought him. Not that one he'd been shot in, of course, but the other one. He made sure that he'd be able to cover up his arm where the stitches were. He was getting them taken out after school, but the wound itself…Joey had told everyone that called that he was 'visiting his cousins in B.C.'. He didn't want everyone to know that he'd been dumb enough to slice his arm open on a window.

He pulled on a clean pair of jeans, socks, and shoes. He sighed. He went downstairs, into the kitchen, where Joey, Caitlin, and Angie were all sitting and eating breakfast.

"Hi, Craig," Caitlin said coolly.

"Hi," Craig muttered.

"Tired?" Joey asked.

"Hella tired," Craig answered, closing his eyes. He opened them back up and yawned. He sat down at the table, across from Angie. "Hi, Angie," he added. Angie looked up from her cereal.

"Hi, Craig!" she said happily. She continued eating the cereal. Craig got himself a bowl of cereal and ate it in silence. When he was finished, he went over to the sink, washed the bowl and spoon, and put it in the drain board. He sighed. He looked out the window to find that it was, again, raining outside. He rolled his eyes.

"Joey, could you give me a ride to school?" he asked, turning to face him. Joey looked up.

"Sure, Craig," he answered.

"Then we better leave soon or I'll be late." Joey shrugged, nodded, and stood.

"Let's go," he said, coffee cup in hand. The two got in the car and Craig put his seatbelt on. He sat back on the tan leather seats. He was quiet the entire ride to school. He yawned again. He stared out at the roads, coated in rain water. Joey pulled up in front of the school. Craig thanked him for the ride and got out. He ran into the school building and to his locker. Spinner and Jimmy came up to him.

"How was B.C.?" Spinner asked. He seemed to be mocking him for some stupid reason.

"It was…okay, I guess."

"Okay? It was raining all week in B.C."

"Shut up, Spinner," Craig snapped. "I don't need your crap right now."

"Why are you wearing your sweatshirt inside? Don't you know it doesn't rain indoors?"

"Spinner!"

"Dude, I'm just asking," Spinner said defensively.

"Well, stop asking stupid questions."

"That was only one question."

"It was two, Spinner! Don't act like I'm stupid."

"I never said you were!"

"You're being stupid, Spinner!"

"Spinner, shut up," Jimmy said quickly.

"You shut up," Spinner retorted. Jimmy rolled forward and ran over Spinner's foot.

"Ow!" Spinner cried. He glared at Jimmy.

"Dude, where were you?" Jimmy asked quietly.

"I told you; B.C."

"Whatever, man," Jimmy muttered, turning to leave.

"Wait! Jimmy. I'm not lying to you. I swear." Jimmy stared at him.

"Dude, what's on your hand?" Spinner asked, pulling Craig's sleeve down, revealing the scars and long row of stitches down his arm. The two boys stared at him. Craig slammed his locker shut. "We have another Ellie in our midst!" Spinner shouted, pointing at Craig. Craig pushed his sleeve back down and walked away.

"Craig!" came a familiar voice from behind him. He stopped and turned.

"Hey, Ash," he whispered.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Ashley asked worriedly.

"Nothing. Spinner's just being stupid," Craig answered. He stared into Ashley's eyes.

"Craig. Tell me the truth. What happened?" she demanded.

"I'm telling you the truth! Spinner saw my arm. He told everyone I'm…he told everyone I cut myself." Craig turned and was about to walk away.

"But you don't cut yourself! What happened was an accident!" Ashley cried from behind him.

"It doesn't matter to him! Everything's funny to him!" Craig shouted.

"Spinner's just stupid! He doesn't even know what he's talking about!"

"When does he?" Craig said, turning to go into Mr. Simpson's class.

"Craig!" Ashley cried. She ran into the classroom. She touched Craig's shoulder. "Don't be like this." Craig kissed Ashley quickly and told her to go to her own homeroom. She nodded and left. Craig sat down at an empty computer.

"Good to see you, Craig," Mr. Simpson said, walking around the room. The room filled with students a few seconds later. "Where've you been?" Craig looked up.

"I don't know. Why don't you just ask Spinner? He seems to know everything," he said coldly. Mr. Simpson looked over at Spinner.

"Spinner doesn't know everything," he said simply. Craig scoffed and leaned back in his seat. He had to listen to Mr. Simpson talk about everything that didn't matter. Mr. Simpson pulled a chair up to him and told him that in order to get a passing grade in his class, he would have to take a test on the computer. He nodded and Mr. Simpson pulled a screen up, and Craig took about fifteen seconds to think about each question. He kept getting side tracked because of everyone staring over at him and whispering. "Mr. Simpson," Craig said in the middle of the test.

Mr. Simpson came over to Craig. "Can I finish this later? I can't concentrate right now." Mr. Simpson looked around the room, which had gone silent. "Yeah," he said quietly. Craig thanked him, stood, and left. Mr. Simpson watched as Craig slid down his locker and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed what was probably Joey and put the phone up to his ear. He brought his knees into his chest and talked as he ran his hand through his hair. Mr. Simpson opened the door of his classroom slowly and quietly and walked toward him.

"Joey, Spinner's being a jerk…no…yeah, but…yeah…okay…I will…yes…I didn't…I tried to…uh…yeah…bye, Joey………..I love you, too…okay, here." Craig stood up and handed Mr. Simpson the cell phone. "He wants to talk to you," Craig said quietly. Mr. Simpson took the cell phone from Craig and said, "Hello?"

"Craig's fine. He was in the middle of a test and he said he couldn't concentrate, so he's going to finish it later…yeah, he was doing good today…I don't know what's going on with him and Spinner…yeah, okay...okay, later, Jeremiah." Mr. Simpson pressed "End" and handed Craig the phone. He put it back in his pocket.

"What'd he say?" he asked tonelessly.

"He wanted to know how you were doing in school and what was going on today," Mr. Simpson answered. "What was going on today?" Craig looked at his teacher for a second and sighed.

"Spinner told everyone that I cut myself," he said.

"Do you?" Mr. Simpson asked.

"No," Craig answered truthfully. "I accidentally cut my arm on my window."

"I see," Mr. Simpson said. "So Spinner told everyone that you cut yourself because he saw your arm?"

"Yeah." Craig pulled up his sleeve, showing him all the small cuts that were all over his arm from the mirror and the window. The long, four-inch cut was visible due to the black stitches that were coating it.

"I was talking to Caitlin when I went up to the window. I yelled at her and then she left. I got pissed off at myself and punched the window. I passed out and woke up in the hospital a day later. Joey was there when I woke up, as always. I got mad at Joey, too. I was kind of already mad at Joey, but then I yelled at him, too. But I didn't have any windows to break, so I was okay." He left out the part about Ashley coming to visit him because he didn't want her to get in trouble.

"I'll talk to Spinner," Mr. Simpson said. "If you want, you can go to the library until after third period." Craig nodded and took a few things out of his locker before turning and leaving. He went to the library and sat down at a table and read.

He heard the bell ring but he was too into the book he was reading to care. He was only taken out of his trance when someone said his name and sat down next to him. He looked up. It was Ellie. "Just the person I wanted to see," Craig muttered, setting down the book.

"Craig," Ellie began, tucking her red hair behind her ear. "I need to know what's going on."

"Ellie, it's not what everyone's saying," Craig said quickly, shoving a piece of paper into his book.

"I wouldn't believe what Spinner said if my life depended on it," Ellie assured him. "What's going on?"

"Nothing's going on. I'm not cutting myself. Okay?" Craig said, irritated.

"Craig, I never said you were cutting yourself."

"I know, Ellie. But Spinner told everyone that I was...that I was...that I'm a cutter."

"Are you? I mean, I don't believe Spinner. If you were, I'd want to hear it from you, not him."

"No, I'm not. I get pissed off sometimes and I punched my window. When I was about to bring my arm back inside the window, I cut it on the glass that was still on it." He lifted his sleeve to show her the long scar, along with all the little ones from punching the window and mirror at all. He looked down at the table, then up at Ellie. He looked back down at the table and quickly slid his sleeve back down.

"Did you feel better after you punched the window?" Ellie asked. Craig shook his head, still not looking up at her. "Then you're not a cutter. People cut themselves to make the pain go away. If you didn't feel better, you're not a cutter. Okay? Don't worry about Spinner." Craig nodded and thanked Ellie.

"When you see Ash, could you tell her I'll see her at lunch?" Ellie nodded. "Thanks, Ellie." Ellie smiled, stood, and left. Craig picked up his book and kept reading. The bell rang again an hour later. He sighed. One more hour. Spinner walked into the library about ten minutes after the bell rang. He was followed by Sean and Marco. "Hey, Marco," Craig said casually, ignoring the other two.

"Hi, Craig," Marco said happily.

"What's up? Why aren't you in class?" Craig asked, setting his book down.

"I could ask you the same thing," Marco answered. Craig shrugged as Marco, Sean and Spinner sat down in front of him.

"Craig," said Sean. Craig turned his head and looked at Sean.

"What?" he said angrily.

"I need to talk to you about what happened last week."

"Ah, but there is nothing to talk about," Craig said, picking his book up.

"I'm sorry for what I did. It was stupid. Really stupid. Incredibly stupid. So stupid that I can't even start to explain how stupid it is."

A smile began to creep up on Craig's face. "I think that the words 'really' and 'incredibly' began to explain the word 'stupid'," he said. The two laughed.

"Now, Spinner, don't you have something you'd like to say to Craig?" Marco said, patting Spinner's shoulder.

"Uh...I'm sorry for telling everyone your secret," Spinner said. Marco smacked his arm.

"Spinner!" he hissed.

"I mean, I'm sorry for telling everyone that you cut yourself because I know you don't and I just thought it was funny at the time." Spinner looked up from his hands. Craig stared at him, the smile gone off his face. Spinner felt as though this was taking forever. Craig was obviously making a decision: forgive him and be friends again or forget him and drop him like he had last year?

About five minutes later, Craig stuck his hand out on the table. Spinner reached his own hand out, not breaking eye contact with Craig. They shook hands. The expression on Craig's face softened as he smiled. Sean turned to Spinner and said, "If you ever make a reference about my girlfriend like that in front of everyone again or if I hear about you making references like that, I'll make sure that you don't make it to school the next day, okay?"

Spinner nodded, realizing that Sean was a serious hard-ass. "What're you doing after school today?" Marco asked everyone.

"Nothing," Spinner and Sean said at the same time.

"Craig?" Marco said.

"I'm busy after school," Craig answered. "Stitches."

"Are you busy after you get your stitches out?" asked Marco.

"Yeah, I...I've got stuff to do. I have to see someone."

"Who?" the three boys asked.

"Just...someone," Craig muttered, returning to his book.

"Is it a chick?" Spinner asked.

"You could say that, but that's not what I'd call her," said Craig.

"Who is it? What's her name?" Spinner persisted.

"It's none of your damn business, Spin, shut up."

"Whatever," Spinner said, leaning back in his chair.

"We should probably all go back to class," Marco said.

"Yeah, we should," Craig added. "This library is mucho boring." He stood up and went to class with Spinner and Marco. Sean went down a different hallway to go to his own class.  
At lunch, Spinner, Marco, Ellie, Ashley, Sean, Jimmy, and Craig all sat together.

"Craig, what're you doing after school?" Ashley asked casually, turning to face him.

"Uh...I'm getting some of the stitches out," he answered.

"I know that," Ashley said. "I mean afterward."  
"I'm babysitting Angie," he said quickly.

"Isn't she a little old to be babysat?" asked Ashley.

"No. She's only like...nine."

"Well...when's Joey getting home?"

"It's not a matter of Joey getting home; it's a matter of Caitlin getting home."

"Craig, that's not what you told us," Spinner said. Craig stared at Spinner, begging him not to say anything else. "You said you were going to see some chick after you got your stitches out."

Craig dared to turn his head toward Ashley, who was staring at him. "It's not a 'chick'. It's...it's...someone else."

"Like who?" Ashley demanded.

"Someone else. It's not something that I feel like talking about," Craig muttered.

"Of course not, Craig," Ashley said. "You never feel like talking about cheating on me!" Ashley pulled her arm back and slapped Craig across the face. Craig glared at Spinner.

"You just love to ruin everything, don't you?" he said coldly. He stood up and slammed the cafeteria door as he left.

He thought about following Ashley. But he didn't. He went to the principal's office. "Ms. Hatzilakos?" he said carefully, opening the door. Ms. Hatzilakos looked up as he entered the office.

"I'm not feeling too well...can I go home?" he asked.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Craig sat down in front of her.

"Today sucks," he answered. "I'm not feeling well, and my head hurts. I need to go home. You can call my step dad if you want. I just don't want to get in trouble for leaving school again."

Ms. Hatzilakos nodded. "I'll give him a call and let him know that you're going to spend the rest of today at home. Okay?" Craig stood up.

"Thanks," Craig said. He left her office and put his book in his locker. He waited for the bus and got almost all the way home. He was about three blocks from home when he got off, and walked the rest of the way. He was about ten feet from the house when he slipped on the sidewalk and fell off of the curb. He was right next to a sewer drain, that was thankfully (that word oozing with sarcasm) flowing with large amounts of water. He was too weak to get up right away. He rolled on his side and used his arm to get up off the ground. He limped into the house, soaking wet. Caitlin was there. At around the same time that he was supposed to get out of the doctor for getting his stitches out, she was supposed to be going in for a job interview somewhere.

"Craig! What happened?" she asked, standing up from the kitchen table, where she was reading the newspaper.

"I fell," Craig answered.

"Are you okay?" Caitlin asked.

"For the most part," Craig said. "I'm gonna go upstairs and take a shower and go to bed. Wake me up at around three so I can go get my stitches taken out, and then I'll go and pick up Angie. Okay?"

Caitlin nodded. Craig walked slowly upstairs and flopped on his bed. He stared at the clock. It was almost noon.

He was ready to kill Spinner right now. Ashley was mad at him because Spinner couldn't keep his mouth shut, and Craig wasn't about to say what he was doing after school. But he wasn't cheating on her, not again.

He went into the bathroom, got undressed, and left his clothes in a large, wet pile next to the door. He turned on the hot water in the shower. Right now, he felt like drowning himself. The hot water burned on the icy surface of his skin. He stood in the hot water for what seemed like forever. He sort of hoped that he burned to death, but he realized that poor chances of it and was thrown back into the reality of it all and stepped out. He found a towel and wrapped it around himself. He shook his head, getting the water out of his hair. He stared at his face. Then, he went to his room.

Craig found some dry clothes hung up in his closet. He found some boxers in there, too, which he found kind of odd. Oh, well. He put the boxers on, then jeans, then the shirt, then socks and shoes, just in case he had to go somewhere. Then he remembered he was too tired to think about going anywhere. He took his shoes off and turned off the light. He crawled into bed and fell asleep.

Caitlin woke him up about two hours later. "Come on, Craig," she said. "It's time to get up." Craig opened his eyes and rolled over.

"I like sleeping," he mumbled before Caitlin helped him up from the bed. He stood up, using Caitlin as leverage as he swayed slightly.

"I like sleeping, too, but you need to go to the hospital and get some of the stitches out."

"I need Emma," Craig said quietly.

"Why?" Caitlin asked.

"So that she can come and baby sit Angie while I sleep more." Caitlin smiled softly and handed Craig his shoes. He stepped into them and went into the bathroom. He combed his hair and picked up his clothes. He took them downstairs and put them in the laundry pile. Caitlin waited for Craig to finish the water he'd just gotten from the sink, and then they both got into her car and drove off. Caitlin dropped Craig off at the hospital. Craig walked through the front doors and went up to the receptionist.

"I'm here to get my stitches removed," he mumbled, leaning his elbow on the desk.

"What's your name?" the woman asked.

"Craig Manning," he answered. The woman nodded and mumbled the name to herself several times, typed about 200 words a minute on her computer and smiled.

"Okay," she said. "Please take a seat over there and the doctor will be with you soon." She indicated a small waiting area in the corner. He nodded and sat over in the farthest corner of the room. He picked up a magazine and started flipping through it. He didn't even look at the pictures or read the headlines. He just kept flipping through pages.

Several minutes later, a woman in a white lab coat with curly red hair that went down to her shoulders and dark green eyes appeared and said, "Craig? The doctor will see you now." Craig stood and followed her down several halls until he reached a room with a sterile-looking white bed. He sat down on it. A person who was obviously the doctor came in. He had short hair that reminded Craig of Marco's, and brown eyes.

"Hello, Craig," he said casually. "How've you been?"

"Bad," Craig answered.

"Why?" the doctor asked.

"Because my so-called friend Spinner told my girlfriend that I'm seeing some girl after school and now she thinks I'm cheating on her," Craig said.

"That sucks," the doctor said. "That happened to me in high school, too." Craig looked up at him. His name tag said "Dr. Rennips".

"Dr. Rennips," Craig muttered under his breath.

"Huh?" Rennips said blankly.

"I was reading your name," Craig said calmly.

"Oh," Rennips said, laughing slightly. "I think it's time to get down to business." He took a small tray off the table and brought it over to Craig. He set it down next to him. He picked up a sterile, alcohol pad from a small pile of them and dabbed it over his hand, where the stitches were getting removed. Craig silently wished that he was getting the nineteen stitches on his arm removed, too. But, he wasn't. Rennips then took some small scissors and began cutting away at the stitches.

Craig winced every time he dug the scissors into his skin to remove a stitch. After about ten minutes, it was over. "Okay," he said. "I'm done. With the stitches. But now we have to get some things on record."

"Like what?" Craig asked suspiciously.

"Like your weight and height," Rennips answered. Craig glared at him. He followed Rennips to a scale. He stepped on it. Rennips balanced it.

"68 kilos," he muttered. He wrote it down on the clipboard.

"God, I'm fat," said Craig.

"No," Rennips corrected. "You're tall." Craig shrugged.

"I'm fat and tall," Craig said. Rennips smiled. He took Craig back to the first room. He put him up against a wall and made him take his shoes off. He measured Craig.

"Six feet tall. Wow. You are tall."

"Yeah, I am. My step dad's like, a foot shorter than I am." Craig smiled sadly. He couldn't be that happy today.

"Okay, you're free to go," Rennips said coolly.  
"Yay," said Craig with little or no excitement whatsoever. He slid his shoes back on and left.

He took the bus to as close to Angie's school as he could get. He jumped off the bus and went inside the building. Drawings and projects from all the kids there coated the walls. He went to Angie's classroom, where all the children were getting ready to leave. He stood by the door. The teacher came up.

"Are you here to get someone?" she asked. Craig nodded.

"I'm here for Angela. I'm her brother," he said.

"Angela!" the teacher called. Angela turned her head and looked up.

"Craig!" she cried happily. As old as she was, she acted just the way she always had around Craig; happy to see him. She ran up and hugged his leg.

"Yes, it's me," said Craig. "And I am here to take you home."

"Okay," said Angie. "But only if I can ride on your back!" Craig smiled adoringly.

"Every time, Angie," he said. He bent his knees, letting his young sister jump onto his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You ready?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Angie said excitedly. Craig started walking out of the building. It was raining again.  
"It looks like it's gonna flood here," he muttered. He stopped and set Angie down. He took his jacket off and handed it to her.

"Here," he said. "Keep yourself dry." Angie put her arms through the sleeves of her brother's favorite leather jacket. She hopped back onto his back and he kept walking. He sighed as he held her feet. It was difficult because of the cast, and hurt a little bit because of the stitches still embedded in his right arm, but he managed.

He walked all the way back home. He set Angie down on the couch. "Okay, Angie, what do you want to do?"

"Um...I want to watch TV," she answered.

"Well, first take off my jacket," Craig ordered. She pulled herself out of the jacket and handed it to him. He picked it up. He turned some channels until he found a show that Angie watched all the time.

"Okay, Angie. I'm going to bed. Don't let anyone in; don't turn anything on, and...well, you know. Oh, yeah. Don't leave. If anyone calls, then...tell them that nobody's here but us. If it's for me, wake me up. But ask who it is. If it's not Ashley, Sean, or Marco, tell them I'm not here. Only wake me up for them, okay? Or...if you get hurt, come wake me up." Angie nodded, trying to take in all the information.

"Okay, Craig," she said sweetly. "Goodnight." Craig smiled.

"Goodnight," he responded as he went upstairs. He took his shirt, jeans, and shoes off before going to bed.

He woke up a few hours later to yelling and screaming coming from downstairs. He put his jeans and shirt back on before wandering downstairs. He found the source of the noise; Joey and Caitlin. Angie was sitting on the couch, crying. Craig went over and picked her up. He hugged her to him, and she felt safe. He carried her upstairs and put her on his bed. "Stay here," he said. Angie nodded. Craig went back downstairs.

He watched Joey and Caitlin for a second. "SHUT UP!" he shouted. The two stopped yelling at each other immediately. "What are you two fighting about?" he demanded. He glared at the both of them.

"None of this would've happened if you would've just stayed up and watched Angie," Joey barked.

"Excuse me? I locked the doors and told her not to open it, take any calls for people, or turn anything on! She's smart enough now! And I've had a shit day so don't tell me what I should do!"

"You should have been responsible enough to stay up and watch her!"

"What happened that's pissing you off so much?"

"Angie broke her finger!"

"Angie will be fine! It could've happened to anyone! Why didn't you wake me up and yell at me instead of fighting with Caitlin?"

"Because she could've been here and watched Angie instead of you!"

"She was going to damn job interview! I mean, I'm sorry she's trying to earn some money and not act like a little loner from off the streets like I am!" The room went quiet. The two stared at each other. "I'm leaving," Craig said quietly. He went upstairs to his room, where Angie was sitting on the floor, touching his guitar.

"Be careful with that, Angie," he said. "I'm going for a walk. Don't go through my stuff, and don't pick up the guitar. Okay?" Angie nodded. He grabbed his jacket off of the bed, put it on, and ran out the front door before Joey could stop him.

The next day at school, Craig went up to Ashley. "Ash, I swear. I didn't go anywhere after school yesterday. Really. Since when did you start believing what Spinner said, anyway?" Ashley turned around and glared at him.

"Since it started sounding like something you'd do," she said angrily.

"Ash! Come on! You know I wouldn't do that again!" Craig cried. He touched her shoulder, making her turn around. "I would never do it again. I love you, Ash. You have to believe me." Ashley looked up into Craig's eyes. She sighed softly.

"Okay," she muttered. "I believe you."

"Why is it that every time we get in a fight we're back together the next day?" Craig asked curiously.

"Because we love each other enough to care," Ashley answered sweetly, wrapping her arms around Craig. "And we're always fighting about stupid things anyway."

"Oh," Craig said. "Interesting theory."

"It's not a theory; it's the truth. What're you doing after school today?"

"Being grounded," Craig answered coolly. "Joey's mad at me because Angie broke her finger yesterday. Yesterday sucked. I fell in a giant puddle in front of the house, and I think I'm starting to get sick from it."

"Don't get me sick!" Ashley cried.

"I guess we're not going to be able to be happy together until I get better, eh?" Craig said.

"I don't want to have to wait that long," Ashley whispered, kissing Craig softly. Craig kissed back, and put his right hand on her lower back. Ashley pulled back and said, "Not right now." Craig sighed and said, "Fine."

Eventually, lunch came around, and Craig and Ashley skipped it to go "study". They had escaped to the area behind the school building.

They heard a door open, but thought nothing of it. "Whoa! When you guys said you had to go study, I didn't know you meant each other!" Spinner shouted.

Craig and Ashley sat up quickly. "Spinner!" Craig yelled. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for Marco," Spinner said defensively. "And then I find this. I'm so ashamed of the both of you." Spinner shook his head, as though he actually were ashamed of them. He sighed and went back inside.

"Stupid Spinner," Craig muttered. "Now where were we?" Ashley smiled as they lay back down and began "studying" again. Unfortunately, lunch was over soon after Spinner had left, and they had to go back in for class. They scoffed, annoyed, and went to class. As they had before, they started passing notes. Really, it was more like passing e-notes, as it was Mr. Simpson's class, the only one they had together, a.k.a. 4th period. Craig had two classes with Simpson, and some with teachers he didn't really care about. Mr. Simpson was about the nicest teacher he had. He was the only one who really ever gave him a chance.

Craig typed slowly with the only hand he was able to type with at the moment. He finally pressed "Send", and sent his email to Ashley, who was all the way on the other side of the room.

'Ash – this sucks. I hate waiting for this stupid cast to get off my arm!'

'I know you do. But don't worry, it will be off soon.'

'No it won't. chances are I'll break it again.'

'that's not true. Your arm will get stronger from being in the cast.'

'I'll manage to break it again.'

'okay. Whatever you say.'

'it is what I say.'

'where'd you go after school yesterday?'

'I got my stitches out, and then I went and babysat angie.'

'I mean when you left after joey got home.'

'I went to the park.'

'the park was flooded last night.'

'I know. I sat on the bench and got my clothes soaked.'

'sounds like you.'

'yeah it does.'

'can I ask you something? You have to promise not to get mad.'

'you're all the way on the other side of the room. I'm not gonna get mad.'

'okay.'

'ask the question!'

'right. Did you take the meds?'

'yes! God, that's a horrible question!'

'you said you wouldn't get mad!'

'I'm not getting mad. I'm kidding. I'm glad you care enough to ask.'

'every time.'

"Craig Manning!" Mr. Simpson shouted from one side of the room. "You'd better not be the reason for all the beeping coming from the computer over here!"

"I'm not!" Craig said smoothly, typing another message to Ashley. He smiled as he hit "Send", and waited for Ashley's reply.

Four hours later, Craig was sitting in his room, alone, and bored. He'd been home for an hour-and-a-half now. He laid on his back on the bed and sighed. He rolled over on his side, then onto his stomach. "My God! This is SO boring!" he shouted to no one. Angela and Caitlin were downstairs, no doubt having fun making a pie. But, no. Craig couldn't have fun with them because he was too old to have fun. That made no sense, because Caitlin was, what, 33? Turning 34 next month. Christmas was slowly approaching, which meant the harsh, cold rains would turn into light, fluffy snow. Craig sighed into his pillow. He rolled off of the bed and stood up straight. He opened his bedroom door and slowly went downstairs.

He went into the kitchen and sat at the table. "Hi, Craig," Angie said happily. "We're making pie!"

"I see that, Angie," Craig muttered. "Are you having fun?"

"Yep!" Angie said, giggling as she wiped some of the sugary sauce on the counter.

"I wish I could say as much."

"Craig," Caitlin said, handing Angie a spoon. "Why don't you get out of here? I'll tell Joey I sent you to the store for something. Okay? You can come back and say that they were out of...whatever you feel the need to say." Craig looked up at Caitlin.

"Are you serious?" Craig asked.

"Yeah," Caitlin answered, smiling.

"Thanks," Craig said happily, standing up from the table. "Bye, Caitlin. I'll be back with the bagels soon." He went upstairs and grabbed his jacket from the closet before running out the door.

"Ellie, I'm worried about him. He says he's grounded, and I can believe him, but...he's just acting weird," Ashley said to her friend, Ellie, as she sat down on her bed, holding the phone to her ear.

"Ash, just ask him what's going on," Ellie said reassuringly. "If he loves you, he'll tell you. Or he won't. Maybe it's just...something he doesn't want to talk about."

"I tried asking him. But like I said, he told me he's grounded. He says that he went to the park yesterday when Joey got home."

"The park was flooded yesterday."

"I know. He says he went to the park and got completely soaked and now he's getting sick. He is, you can tell."

"I don't know what else there is to do. I'll talk to Sean about it. He's usually able to things out of Craig. He's just now getting here. I'll talk to him. He's got some explaining to do; he's an hour late."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later, El," Ashley said.

"Bye, Ash. One more thing -- stop worrying. Chances are, Craig's not going to do anything to lose you now. He loves you."

"Okay, El. Bye." They both hung up. Ellie turned to Sean, who was in the kitchen, putting several bags of groceries on the counter.

"Sean!" she said venomously. "Where were you?"

"I was at the store!" Sean said defensively. "Where were you?"

"I was right here talking on the phone with Ashley about Craig!" Ellie cried.

"Craig? I just saw Craig. He was walking down the street and then he went into some bushes and he was gone."

"Did he see you?" Ellie asked.

"I don't think so," Sean muttered. "He just walked right into a bunch of bushes, and, like I said, he was gone. Why? Is something wrong with him?"

"Ashley thinks Craig's cheating on her," Ellie explained.

"Well...I couldn't explain that. Unless somebody he knows lives in a bush, then..."

"Sean, I'm being serious!"

"I know you're being serious," Sean responded. He picked up a few cans of soup and put them in the cupboard. "And I'm trying to be serious, but it's hard to believe that Craig would sit there and tell us that he was seeing some girl after school if he was actually cheating on her."

"He told you that?" Ellie asked blankly.

"He said he was going to see someone after school, and it wasn't a 'chick', but it was a 'her'. He said he had to baby sit his sister, and after that he was going to see 'her'. I don't know who she is, but she must be pretty amazing if he wants to keep her to himself."

"Maybe he's just...I don't know," Ellie whispered. "What if he is?"

"If he's cheating on her? I don't think so. I could ask him. But I doubt he'd tell me."

"Just try. Please?" Ellie asked, looking up at Sean. Sean leaned down and kissed Ellie on the cheek.

"I'll ask him," he said. "For you."

"Thanks, Sean," Ellie said, resting her head on his shoulder.

Tuesday

"Jay, seriously. It's a very... um... convert... operation. You're the sneaking around-type. We're all going to be tracking him down and trying to find out what he's doing. You have to help us," Spinner muttered, leaning up against the back of the Dot, where he had told Jay to meet him after school.

"Okay," Jay answered. "Do you mean 'covert' operation, how much do I get paid and do I get to run the operation?"

"Covert, sure. I'll pay you...fifty bucks and yeah, you can run it."

"Well, alright, then," Jay said. "If it's an undercover job that no one's supposed to know about, then..."

"Can I tell them that you're in on it?" Spinner asked.

"Tell them I'm in," said Jay. He fixed his hat and straightened his jacket. He put his sunglasses on, not as though he needed them, and said, "Good day, Mason." He turned the corner and left Spinner standing alone. He ran into the café, sat at a table, and pulled out a cell phone. He dialed a number quickly.

"Hello?"

"Sean. He's in," Spinner said.

"Good." They hung up and Spinner sighed. He stood up and left the Dot. He smiled with self-pride as he put his hood up and walked home.

Craig dialed Ashley's cell phone, as she hadn't picked up the one at home. "Hello?" she said softly.

"Ash, it's Craig. Um...you wanna come over? I wanna show you something," Craig said quickly.

"Uh, sure, Craig," she said. "You're at home, right?"

"Yeah," Craig answered. "Where else would I be? I'm still grounded. Joey says you can come over for a little while."

"Okay," Ashley said. "I'll be there soon."

"Okay, bye," Craig said, hanging up.

Craig waited about twenty minutes until Ashley got there. He heard a knock on the door. He ran until he was halfway down the stairs, and then jumped off the last seven. He hit the floor with a loud thud and almost tripped as he ran toward the door.

He opened it. Ashley was standing there, soaking wet. "Ash!" Craig said happily. "You're wet. And cold. Come on." Craig put an arm around her shoulder and led her upstairs.

He left for a second and then returned with a towel. He handed it to her, along with a sweatshirt. "Now you can be warm and dry," he said, smiling. Ashley took the towel and sweatshirt. She draped the sweatshirt over her shoulders, and rubbed her head with the towel furiously. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Okay," Craig said. "This is what I wanted to show you." Craig lifted his guitar and set it on his knee.

"Craig, I've seen your guitar," Ashley said simply.

"Yeah, but not many people can play old school, Mexican rock with a broken arm," Craig said.

"What?" Ashley said blankly.

"Ever heard of Ritchie Valens? He redid the song 'La Bamba', and I've been learning to play it."

"I wanna hear it!" Ashley said excitedly.

"Okay," Craig said. He played the G, C, D, and A chords.

"That's the song?" Ashley asked. Craig nodded.

"Yeah," Craig answered. "Pretty cool, I know."

"How'd you learn that?"

"I was watching TV and this movie called La Bamba came on, and I was kind of confused at first, but I got the whole point of the movie. At the end, there's this part when it replays the song, and I watched him play, and I learned the song."

"Craig, that's amazing," Ashley said. Craig set the guitar back on the stand. He lay back on the bed. Ashley threw the towel to the floor and laid down next to him. She rested her head on his chest.

"I love you," Craig whispered, stroking her hair with his hand. He stopped stroking her hair when her shoulders started shaking. "What's wrong? Do you want me to not love you?" he asked. Ashley looked up at Craig.

"I want you to love me and trust me," she whispered through her tears.

"I do love and trust you," Craig assured her. "I wouldn't lie to you. What's wrong?" Ashley sat up, and Craig sat next to her. Ashley sighed. She turned and looked at Craig.

"Are you cheating on me?" she asked. She looked into Craig's eyes.

"No," he said quietly. "I'm not. You don't need to worry about me cheating on you. Okay? I love you. I'm not leaving you anytime soon and I'll never hurt you like I did again. I promise."

"Okay," said Ashley. Craig wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him.

"Shh," he said. "It's okay. It's okay." He laid back down on the bed, still holding her. "I love you."

Craig turned on his side, facing her as she was still on her back. He kissed her softly, resting his hand on her waist. She kissed back, and ran her hands under his shirt. Craig could taste her tears. They turned cold as they trailed down her face. Craig moved his hand lower down her back, tracing his fingers lazily across the covered skin.

Ashley pulled back and hugged him closely, and he hugged back. She sighed into his shirt, and he kissed her one last time. "I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Bye, Ash," Craig said sadly as he watched her stand up and leave, still wearing his sweatshirt. He sighed, almost caring that she took it with her. He didn't really mind; it was just a sweatshirt, and she'd give it back tomorrow.

Craig waited by the door, looking out the window until she was out of view. He glanced around the room, put his jacket on and slid out the door.

Later the next day, Ashley, Sean, Spinner, Marco, and Jay were plotting there secret operation. They'd all met up at the Dot immediately after school was out. "Okay, I'm the head of this entire thing, so first of all, I get to decide who does what," Jay said proudly. "Kerwin, you're the one who wanted this in the first place, so you get to interrogate him. Del Rossi, you're going to make sure Manning doesn't find out about this. Cameron and Mason... you just act cool. We're all going to follow him and find out what he's doing."

"Why are you addressing us by our last names?" Ashley asked.

"Because I just feel like it!" said Jay.

"Okay, okay..." Ashley muttered.

"So...now what?" said Sean.

"Now...we wait," Jay said, standing up. "We all leave this place, and pretend this meeting never happened."

"Okay," everyone said in unison.

Everyone left the Dot and went their separate ways. Ashley walked home slowly, starting to have second thoughts about this. She didn't want to invade Craig's privacy, but she wanted to know if he was cheating on her again.

Sean got into Jay's car, as he was going to drive him back to the apartment that he shared with Ellie. Jay pulled up to the building. "Thanks, man," Sean said. He got out of the car and went upstairs. He opened the door and sat down on the couch. This was going to be hard work; especially if they were all stalking Craig after school the next day. Jay drove home alone, listening to the radio. It was a really boring station, but all the other ones were worse. They'd stopped playing the music that he liked, and now they were playing oldies. Stupid radio. He wanted to call Alex, but she was probably still mad at him. They hadn't talked since the gonorrhea thing, and she would probably track him down and kill him if he called.

Marco and Spinner walked alongside each other, talking quietly about tomorrow's plan. They stopped talking immediately when they saw Craig emerging from an area covered in bushes and trees. Craig looked up at them. "Hey, guys," he said.

"Craig, what're you doing in the bushes?" Marco asked blankly.

"Nothing," Craig said quickly.

"You being in the bushes doesn't sound like nothing," said Spinner.

"Well, it is nothing," Craig said, irritated. He started walking in the opposite direction when Spinner grabbed his arm.

"Dude! You have to tell us what's going on!" he shouted. Craig turned around and pushed Spinner.

"I don't have to tell you anything! And if I did, there'd be nothing to tell you!" he said defensively.

"There is something going on with you, and if you're not gonna tell us, then maybe you don't trust us enough, and maybe we shouldn't be friends," Spinner said quietly. Craig looked genuinely hurt and insulted.

"It's not that I don't trust you guys. I just—I gotta go. Joey's gonna kill me if he finds me out here."

"You can't hide things from us forever, Craig," Marco whispered. "But I'm not gonna force it out of you."

Right when Craig was just about to turn around, he stopped when he saw Joey's car right in front of him. Joey rolled down the window. "What're you doing out here, Craig?" he asked.

"I was—" Craig began.

"No excuses. Get in the car," Joey commanded. Craig sighed and got into the car.

"Why did you have to do that?" Craig asked. "I was about to go home."

"So was I. You're grounded, Craig. Does that not occur to you? Ever?" Joey said loudly.

"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid, Joey," said Craig.

"Well, sometimes it really seems like it." Craig looked over at Joey, hurt. He turned and looked out the window. Joey looked over at him, then back on the road. "Craig, I—"

"Don't, Joey. What you say doesn't even matter to me anymore." And that was the end. Craig had his hand on the door, waiting for Joey to get in front of the house. Craig opened the door and ran inside. He ran up to his room and slammed the door behind him. He looked at his left hand. "Sick. My skin's dry," he muttered. He picked up a small bottle of lotion off of his nightstand. He rubbed some on his hand, feeling better instantly that his skin didn't look so bad.

Craig took his jacket and shoes off and went under the blankets. He turned off the lamp and faced away from the window, where most of the light was coming from. He fell asleep, thinking about Joey, Marco, and Spinner. He felt bad that he was keeping things from them, but what he did was none of their business, and they shouldn't be trying to get him to tell them.

He woke up. He rolled over and looked at his clock. 3:38. He sighed and rolled out of the bed, taking the blankets and some pillows with him. He sat up and rubbed his head. He stood and looked out his window. It was dark and raining outside.

Craig went to his door and opened it. He went downstairs and saw a light coming from the kitchen. It was the light just above the table. Joey and Caitlin were sitting at the table, talking. They looked up at Craig.

"Craig, I'm sorry, did we wake you up?" Caitlin asked. Craig shook his head.

"I don't think so," he muttered groggily. "I always wake up at weird times of the night."

"Okay." Craig sat down at the table, next to Caitlin and across from Joey.

"What're you guys doing up this late, anyway?" he asked.

"Couldn't sleep," Joey answered. Craig shrugged. He rested his head down on the table and closed his eyes. He sighed softly.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..." was the only thing that came from his throat.

"Maybe you should go to bed," Joey suggested. Craig shook his head.

"I can't sleep. I wouldn't have woken up if I could."

"Is there something wrong?" Caitlin asked in a concerned tone.

"No," Craig said tonelessly.

"Okay." Caitlin glanced over at Craig, who caught her doing so when he opened his eyes.

"Really. I'm fine. I'm just tired and I have a headache."

"Do you want an aspirin?" Joey asked.

"Sure," Craig moaned from the table. Joey stood up and got Craig a glass of water and an aspirin. He handed it to him. Craig sat up straight and drank the aspirin down with the water. The cold water felt good against his hot, dry throat. He drank the entire glass. He sighed in relief.

"Ah," he said. Caitlin and Joey smiled at Craig's reaction to the water. Craig looked at them.

"So...you two can continue with whatever you were just talking about before I came down and interrupted. I'll probably fall asleep right here."

"Actually, Craig, we were just talking about you," Caitlin said calmly.

"Good me or bad me?" Craig asked suspiciously.

"Good you," Joey responded. Craig smiled.

"I like Good Me," he whispered.

"We like Good You, too." Craig looked up at him. He sighed and rested his head back on the table.

"I'm going to bed," he said. "My head's starting to hurt a little bit more." Craig said goodnight to Joey and Caitlin and plodded back upstairs. He pushed his door open and went back to bed. He decided that he wasn't going to be able to sleep on the bed, so he got a seemingly clever idea. He got off the bed and laid down on the floor. He fell asleep about a half-hour later.

Joey woke up the next morning in bed next to his girlfriend, Caitlin. He rolled off the bed and stood up straight. He rubbed his head and felt weird fuzz starting to grow. He ran to the bathroom and covered his head with shaving cream before promptly shaving the fuzz off. Just as he was about to go back to his bedroom to get ready for work, the light from his step son's room showed no signs of its resident. He approached the door and pushed it all the way open. He found Craig stretched out on the floor next to the bed.

He knelt down next to him and shook his shoulder. "Craig. Craig. Wake up, buddy," he said. Craig stirred and turned over.

"What...?" he murmured.

"Craig, it's time to get up for school. Come on," Joey said, resting his hand on Craig's shoulder. Craig stood up and stretched. "Hmmm...What time is it?" Craig asked.

"It's time for you to get up for school," Joey repeated. Craig scoffed.

"I don't want to go to school today," he said. "Everyone's gonna harass me today."

"Why would they do that?" Joey asked.

"Because they're just rude like that," Craig answered. He went to his closet and started rummaging around for shirts and jeans. He found the clothes he wanted to wear that day and threw them on the bed. Joey shrugged and went back to his own room. Craig picked up his clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower. When he emerged, he felt fresh and clean. He put his clothes on and combed his hair like he always did.

He found some socks and put them on, his shoes immediately following them. He grabbed his sweatshirt from the floor and smelled it. It smelled like Ashley. He smiled as he put it on. He went downstairs and sat down at the table with Caitlin, Joey, and Angie, who looked tired. He poured himself a glass of juice and drank it quietly.

"How'd you sleep on the floor last night?" Joey asked, taking a sip from his coffee.

"Better than I would have on the bed," Craig answered.

At School

Ashley ran up to Craig during lunch. "Where've you been?" Craig asked curiously.

"I was in the bathroom," Ashley said. "I didn't feel well."

"Are you okay now?" asked Craig worriedly.

"Yeah. I'm fine," said Ashley.  
"That's good."

"So...what're you doing after school today?"

"I'm grounded," Craig muttered. "I'm not doing anything after school except being grounded."

"Poor Craig," Ashley said quietly, leaning against him. "You'll be ungrounded in a little while."

"I didn't realize that three weeks was a little while."

"It's okay. It won't be too long. Chill out."

"I can't chill out." Ashley hugged him tightly, not ending it until the bell rang.

"Come on. It's time for class," she said smoothly, taking his hand and leading him to class with her. Craig went with her, walking alongside her until he reached the classroom. He sat in his usual corner, with Ashley on the other side of the room. He sent her an email, asking her what she was doing.

"The assignment," she wrote back.

"I didn't hear the assignment. What was it?"

"You're supposed to write an html background by yourself."

"How does Simpson expect me to do that?"

"He just does."

"He's not smart then. I can't do that."

"Tell him that!"

"Can I copy yours?"

"Hm...fine. Just don't tell him that I gave it to you."

"Okay. Send it to me!"

"I'm not done yet!"

"Fine!" Craig sat back in his chair and stared over at Ashley, who was typing away quickly on her computer. That's when Craig got an idea. He opened up the word processor and began typing random letters, numbers, and symbols. He put 'html' every so often, and a few ' 's here and there. He put the word 'background' at the end, along with a URL and was finally done. He copied and pasted it and emailed it to Ashley. Under it he said, "Look at my beautiful html."

He saw Ashley as she opened the email. She looked up at him. She rolled her eyes and smiled softly. Finally, class was over. It seemed to take forever.

Over an hour-and-a-half later, Ashley, Spinner, Sean, Marco, and Jay all met up behind the school.

"So," Jay said. "Is everyone ready for what needs to happen?" Spinner, Marco, and Sean nodded. "Kerwin, I didn't see you nod," said Jay.

"I'm not so sure about this," Ashley muttered.

"Not so—what? You're the one that thought of this in the first place!" Jay almost shouted.

"I know. But...it's Craig," said Ashley. "And he...I don't know if it's right of us to go and---"

"Okay, if you don't want to do this, fine. Then don't. But if he finds out that we're doing this and you're not there, I'm telling him that you set it all up and you just paid us to go and find out what he was doing," Spinner said simply. "Or, you can still do this, and we can all be blamed for it if he finds out."

"Fine!" Ashley cried. "I'll do it."

"So now what do we do?" Marco asked.

"We sit here and wait until school's out," Jay answered. "Because it'll seem a little odd if everyone goes back into their classes at the same time."

"Okay..." Sean said quietly. "Whatever."

"Cameron, don't use that tone with me!" Jay reprimanded.

"You wanna go?" Sean shouted.

"Man, shut up, sit down, and wait until the bell rings," said Jay. Sean backed down and sat against the brick wall. He sighed and looked around at the others.

"So..." he said.

"So what?" Ashley said.

"I don't know," Sean said defensively. They all started laughing after about ten minutes of silence. Everyone, that is, but Ashley.

"Kerwin, what's your problem? You're like...boring," Jay said seriously.

"I don't think it's right that we're spying on Craig," Ashley said quickly.

"If you're not going through with this, then I am. Your little boyfriend doesn't get to lie to everyone he knows about where he's going after school. If he's not telling anyone, then it must be serious," Jay responded. Ashley glared at him. She jumped when the bell rang. Jay looked at the four people before him.

"Show time," he said. Everyone stood and followed Jay. They went to his car, where everyone got in. It was kind of crowded due to the fact that there was only room for four. Ashley squeezed in the back between Spinner and Marco. Sean sat in the front next to Jay. They waited in the car while they carefully watched the people empty from the school. "There's your lover," Jay said to Ashley as he indicated Craig, who'd just come out.

"Shut up," Ashley snapped. Jay rolled his eyes. He pulled out and followed Craig as he went home. He took a left turn away from Craig. "Where are you going?" Ashley asked.

"Chill out," said Jay. "He'll be on to us if we follow him home. I'm going a different way."

Ashley shrugged and shut up. She talked to Marco quietly while Jay and Sean listened to music in the front. Spinner stared out the window. He looked around as Jay stopped the car about two houses away from Craig's. They waited in the car, the radio playing quietly. Every time a car would drive by, they would lower their heads in their seats. It started raining. A car finally pulled up into the front of Craig's house. Joey and Craig emerged.

"There he is," Jay muttered.

"Joey gave him a ride. He's been getting off work early lately," said Ashley.

"That's nice," Spinner said, sighing.

It was another hour until Craig left the house again. Jay waited until Craig turned the corner and then started the car completely (because only the accessory was on), and put the car into drive. He was always about twenty feet behind or in front of Craig. It was still raining, harder than it was when it first started. The sound probably blocked the noise of the car. And even if Craig did pay attention to the car, he wouldn't have heard it, because he had his MP3 player with him. He held it in his hand, which was keeping itself warm in the pocket of his sweatshirt.

"That's not fair," Jay said. "Where'd he get that? That's a nice one."

"Does it matter where he got it?" said Ashley. "It's just an MP3 player."

"Yeah. A damn nice MP3 player," Sean added.

"Lucky," said Spinner.

"Craig's the farthest from 'lucky' that I've ever seen," said Marco. Jay rolled his eyes.

"What's up with everyone being all sympathetic about him today?" he said. Nobody answered him. Eventually, Craig lowered his head and went through some bushes. Jay stopped the car on the side of the road and looked around to make sure there were no 'No Parking' signs. The last thing he needed was a ticket. He waited until the bushes stopped shaking. "Come on, guys," Jay said. He got out of the car and left the door open so that Spinner could get out.

They all followed Jay into the bushes. When they reached the edge of the bushes, they looked out through the spaces between leaves. Everyone stared at Craig, who was sitting next to a large, polished, perfectly-shaped rock.

"Great, now I feel stupid," said Sean.

"I feel disgusting," Ashley whispered. "This isn't fair."

"Why's he here?" asked Jay. "I mean, is this a hobby of his or something?"

"No, it's not a hobby," Ashley said quickly. "It's...I'm not sure what you'd call it. Maybe a way of support."

"Support of what?" Jay said.

"Never mind," Ashley muttered. "I can't believe I yelled at him for this."

"Don't feel bad," said Marco. "Me and Spinner tried to get it out of him the other day, but he got irritated and Joey picked him up and took him home."

"Maybe we should leave," said Ashley.

"No," said Jay. "I'm not leaving now."

"Fine," said Sean. "But I'm not staying here long. This is depressing."

"How is it depressing? I'd find it depressing if I knew why he was here," Jay mumbled.

"Just wait until he leaves."

"Why is he getting his pants muddy? That's just...weird. Craig never willingly sits in mud," said Marco.

"You're just using that as an excuse so that later you can see him walking down the street and 'help him get it off the back of his pants'," said Jay. Spinner snorted and Marco glared at him.

"That's the same look Kerwin gave me back in the car," Jay said, laughing. "I'm not surprised that you'd give the same look as _her_."

"Okay, Jay, enough with the gay jokes," Ashley scolded. Jay rolled his eyes.

"Some people," he said quietly. They watched Craig for a few more minutes. He stood up and went the other direction. "He's leaving," said Spinner.

"Duh," said Sean. "Why didn't he just go that way when he got here?"

"Because the other way is faster. He's probably tired," Ashley explained. Sean shrugged. When Craig was out of view, they emerged from the bushes and went to where Craig had been sitting.

"That's why he's here," said Sean, pointing to the rock. "This is where he went when..."

"This is his mom's grave," said Ashley.

"Whoa. Really? I thought his mom was that chick that runs around filming people," Jay said curiously.

"No. That's his...step dad's girlfriend. There's a difference."

"Oh. I get it. So...he's...an orphan?" Jay asked.

"Don't put it in such harsh words," Marco said.

"I'm just asking!" Jay said defensively.

"Well, yeah. He is. But he lives with his step dad and his little family," Sean added.

"Now what were you saying before Kerwin interrupted?" Jay asked Sean.

"When I first met Craig, it was like, not even a week after I met him, and he was gonna kill himself. He ran away from his dad's, and we couldn't find him. Emma told us to look here, and, sure enough, he was here."

"He misses his mom," Ashley whispered. "Things are hard for him right now."

"Well, then, why don't you go _do_ something to make things... harder?" Jay said suggestively. He smiled.

"Jay! This is not the time to be talking like that!" Ashley cried, slapping Jay's arm. Jay glared at her.

"Sorry!" Jay said. "He shot his dad, right?"

"Not on purpose," said Spinner. "At least that's what he told us."

"He spent a week in jail," Ashley said. "In the dark. He made friends with one of the guards. He gave him food and water every so often."

"Sucks for him," Jay mumbled. "But I've been in there longer."

"You would be."

"You guys, I think spy time's over. This isn't fair to him," Ashley said suddenly, standing up straight. "Let's go."

Jay sighed heavily and stood up. That's when he saw something---Craig's MP3 player. How could he not have felt it fall to the ground? Or hear it? He ran over and picked it up. He shoved it in his pocket. He could keep it. He could sell it—for a lot. Or, he could claim sympathy and give it back. He could be nice for once. For once. And only for once.

They all went back to the car. He went the same way he had to get there. "Where are we going?" asked Marco.

"Shut up and you'll find out," Jay answered. He pulled up in front of Craig's. "Stay here. Kerwin, stay down." He got out of the car and went up to the door. He knocked. He heard footsteps and someone answered the door. It was a small girl, who couldn't have been that old.

"Hello," she said sweetly.

"Hey," Jay said in the same voice he used with everyone else. "Could you give this to Craig?" Jay took the MP3 player out of his pocket and wiped the mud off of it on his jeans. He handed it to her. "Please? Tell him Jay dropped it off."

"Okay," the little girl answered. She held it in her left hand, as she couldn't very well hold it in her other one.

"What happened to your finger?" asked Jay.

"I fell off the couch and broke it," the little girl said.

"Oh. I see. Well, remember—Jay dropped it off. Okay? I gotta go," Jay said. "Bye."

The little girl shut the door as Jay jogged back to the car. He opened the door and got in the car. He started it back up, and noticed that everyone was staring at him.

"What?" he demanded, driving away.

"That has to be the nicest thing I've ever witnessed you do," said Sean.

"Don't mention it. Ever," Jay said harshly.

"Why'd you do it? You could've sold it for hundreds of dollars. And you gave it back."

"I feel sorry for him. That's all there is. When I feel sorry for people...I'm just...shut up, Cameron."

"Sorry! It's just that I've never seen you nice before. Maybe if my parents die then you'll be nice to me, too."

"Cameron, I am nice to you. And it's not just because his parents are dead. It's a lot of things. Just shut up or I'll drop you off right here."

"That wouldn't be too bad of a problem, considering that my apartment's about a tenth of a mile away."

"Shut up, Cameron!" Jay shouted. He drove the short distance to Sean's apartment, and let Sean get out. Spinner promoted himself to the front seat. Jay dumped everyone off at the Dot, then went home himself. He went into the bathroom, and shut the door. He took off his hat and looked at his reflection.

"What am I doing? Why am I going soft on Manning like this? This sucks," he said to himself.

A/N: Haha! I know what you're all saying, "Holy crap! That's a long deucing chapter!" Nearly 15,000 words of a chapter better be considered long! Anyway, I'm now working on Part 10, which, I promise, shan't be as long as part 9. And...I REALLY want the reviews! So...if you could all be so nice as to review this story, (please make it long. I like long reviews. They're interesting.) It would be greatly appreciated.


	14. Part 10: Wake Me Up When December Ends

**Part 10: Wake Me Up When December Ends**

**A/N: Okay, everyone! I just wanted to say, thanks for all the great reviews! Trinity, you're the best, and yes, I'll tell readers why Jay gave Craig his MP3 player when he dropped it. Also, I'm jacking the review MINIMUM up to 15. Normally, I already have all the chapters ready, but this time I was actually still working on it. ALSO: whenxixamxqueen: Okay, I'll explain all this stuff in this chapter, including the term 'gay'. Where I live, 'gay' has three meanings: homosexual, happy, and, in my context, stupid; lame. Sorry for any misconceptions. Hellogoodbye123, Craig's in MH for three weeks in this story. And, yes, I'll put in all that good stuff. So...yeah! **

**Lalalalala! Hope you like this chapter! P.S.: whenxixamxqueen and Hellogoodbye123, you need not argue through reviews, mmmkay? Crashetburn, it's good to see that you're still reading this; I thought you'd deserted it. Thanks for all the long reviews! (you know what? This chapter's going to be longer than part 9. Sorry. Didn't mean to make it so long, but it just kind of happened.**

"Ash, you can't do it yet. It's like, two weeks before Christmas. This isn't the right time," Ellie Nash said to her friend, Ashley Kerwin. Ashley had been contemplating whether or not she should tell her long-time boyfriend, Craig Manning, what she'd been keeping inside of her for about two weeks now.

"Ellie, I know it seems weird, but I feel bad not telling him. He'd want me to be honest with him," Ashley said quietly.

"Listen. If you do it now, he's going to freak out. You know he will."

"I know. But he needs to know."

"Do what you want. But don't blame me when Craig kills himself," Ellie said, standing up from Ashley's bed. She went to the door. "If you ask my advice, make sure you actually consider it before you just say you're going to do it anyway." She opened the door and left. Ashley laid back on the bed. She sighed. She thought about holding in her feelings, in case they changed in the next few weeks. She turned her head to her night stand, where a picture of Craig stood. He looked happy, though he hadn't been when she took the picture.

It was before the accident at the party, before the beginning of the school year, before she'd gone to London. She picked the picture up and held it close to her. "I'm sorry, Craig," she whispered to the picture. She carefully set it down on the night stand and rolled over. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed Craig.

"Hello?" said Joey.

"Joey, is Craig there?" Ashley asked. Stupid question, seeing as he was grounded until tomorrow.

"Yeah, hold on," Joey answered. Ashley waited for a minute before she heard Joey say something, and Craig took the phone.

"Hello?" he muttered, tired.

"Craig? I'm sorry, were you sleeping?"

"I was. But I woke up like, two minutes ago. What's up?" said Craig.

"Oh, I was just wondering what you were doing. So..."

"I'm just sitting here on the floor."

"Why're you sitting on the floor?"

"Because the floor's comfortable for a little while."

"I see."

"So do I," said Craig. "It was weird. When I got home, Angie came up to me and said that some guy named Jay dropped off my MP3 player. I asked her what he looked like and she said he had a black hat and sunglasses. Why would Jay give back something so expensive?"

"No idea," Ashley answered nervously. "Maybe he's just going soft."

"Jay. Go soft. That's funny, Ash."

"Yeah. Jay's not that much of a nice person, is he?"

"No. He's not. I've never really had a conversation with him. As Joey always tells Angie, 'it's not nice to judge people by impressions.'"

"Maybe Joey's right."

"That's what everyone says. But I agree with him. Most of the time. Me and Joey fight a lot, though."

"I know."

"You're lucky. You've never gotten in a fight with Joey."

"I don't think that'd be very proper if I got in a fight with my boyfriend's step dad."

"No, it wouldn't."

"Oh, Craig, I'm sorry. I have to go."

"Okay. I have to do something for Joey anyway. Bye."

"Bye." Ashley hung up, and Craig listened to the almost-silent buzz coming from inside the receiver. He hung up and tossed the phone across the floor. It started ringing again. Craig crawled over to the phone.

"Hello?" he said.

"Craig? It's Sean."

"What's up, Sean?" Craig asked.

"I was just calling to see if you've heard anything from Ellie," said Sean.

"Uh...no. Why would I hear from Ellie? I don't hang out with her. No offense. I mean, she's cool and all, but I just...have no time to hang out with anyone. I just got off the phone with Ash. Maybe she knows where Ellie is."

"Okay. Talk to you later. Bye." Craig hung up the phone and threw it back on the floor. Joey came in.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"Sean. Wanted to know if I've seen or heard from Ellie. I haven't. He said bye and I hung up. Want the phone?" Craig said. Joey nodded and took the phone from Craig's hand after he'd picked it up from the floor.

"Is something wrong?" Joey asked. Craig shook his head.

"Not really. I'm tired and bored."

"Okay," Joey said calmly. He left the room with the phone. He hung it up on the base downstairs.

"Something wrong?" Caitlin asked, looking up from the newspaper.

"I'm worried about Craig," Joey answered. "He says he tired, and if that's the case, then there's no problem. But I think there might be something else."

"Well, interrogating him isn't going to get anything out of him, but... he'll tell you if there's something wrong, and if there is, he'll tell you when he's ready. Give it time," Caitlin said.

"Okay," Joey said. Caitlin stood up and wrapped her arms around Joey.

"Stop worrying for one day. Just one day," she muttered. Joey smiled and sighed, breathing in her scent.

The next day, after school, Ashley approached Craig. "Hey, Craig," she said sweetly.

"Hey, Ash," Craig said. He kissed her quickly. "What's up?"

"Um...I need to talk to you. Come on, sit down," she said, indicating the picnic table that was off to the side. They went over to it and sat down.

"How important is this? Should I be worried?" Craig asked.

"This is really important, and I'm not sure if you should be worried or not," Ashley answered.

"Okay..." Craig said, looking at her.

"Um... over the past few days, I've been kind of... I don't know how to say this... but remember how we used to be around each other?" Craig nodded. "Well...I've been feeling a little different...about you."

"This is bad, isn't it?" Craig asked.

"Yeah. It is," Ashley whispered. Craig shook his head slowly. "And I think I'm...I think..."

"Don't say it. Please. Don't say it, Ash. Don't," Craig pleaded. Ashley looked into Craig's sad eyes.

"I'm sorry. I think I'm...falling out of love...with you." Craig stood up and started running. He ran as far as he could. He finally stopped when he reached his own door. He opened it. He ran up to his room and slammed the door behind him. He heard a knock on his door, and Caitlin opened the door slowly.

"Craig? Are you okay?" she asked. Craig was sitting on the edge of his bed. He didn't say anything. He didn't look up. He didn't move. Caitlin sat down next to him. "What happened?"

"Ash dumped me," Craig mumbled. "She's 'falling out of love with me.'"

"Craig, I'm sorry," Caitlin said.

"Don't be sorry. We should've broken up a long time ago." Caitlin put her hand on Craig's arm. She gave him a sad look and stood up. She left the room without another word. Craig could hear what she was doing. The house was quiet except for the fact that he heard Caitlin pick up the phone and sit on the stairs. She was probably calling Joey. Craig was right. She heard him say something to him, but couldn't distinguish it all. Then he heard her shut the phone off and call someone else. The name "Emma" came up in conversation. Craig figured she was probably calling her to go pick up Angie. She was.

It surprised him; Emma hadn't babysat Angie for a while now. But whatever she could do for money. He sat on the bed, alone. The word itself was too much to handle. 'Alone'. He could've been sitting on the bed for minutes or hours. But a while after he heard Caitlin get off the phone, he heard footsteps on the stairs. They sounded different than Caitlin's; lighter. And there were two people going up the stairs. He knew it wasn't Joey. Joey went up the stairs quickly. Then, a third person. He looked up, and through the doorway, he saw Angie running into her room.

Two girls stopped at his door. Emma and Manny. They looked at him. Craig gave a sad smile. The two girls entered and sat down next to him on the bed. He saw Emma and Manny standing in the doorway. He must've looked pathetic. He was sitting on the bed, alone, in the dark except for the light from the window, and his head was bowed. "Craig?" said Emma.

"We heard about what happened today," said Manny. "I'm sorry." Craig said nothing. "Craig, it's okay. It'll be okay." Manny hugged Craig, resting her head on his shoulder. He had a different scent than he used to; he now smelled of men's deodorant from an aerosol can. Emma hugged him, too. The two girls sat with their heads rested on Craig's shoulders. Craig still didn't move.

Suddenly, Emma's cell phone rang. "Hello?" she said angrily. "No, Mom, we're busy...no...yeah, but we're at Craig's!...But...Fine." Emma hung up. "Manny, we have to go. My mom wants us to go take care of Jack." Manny sighed. She sat up and put an arm on Craig's knee.

"Feel better, okay?" she said quietly. Craig said nothing. She hesitated for a second before kissing his cheek. "It'll get better," she said before leaving.

"Manny! I can't believe you just did that!" Emma cried.

"He looks like he needed it," Manny said simply. Emma shook her head. They opened the front door and almost ran into Joey.

"He's in his room," Emma said before walking out the door, followed closely by Manny.  
Joey went upstairs to Craig's room. He opened the door. The sight of Craig sitting on his bed alone almost broke his heart. Craig looked up. Joey looked back him. They stared at each other for a second before Craig stood up. He walked a few steps toward Joey. He hugged him and Joey hugged back. He rested his head on his shoulder and let everything come out. Joey stood there and let him cry. The tears soaked his shirt. He could tell he'd been holding it inside of himself for at least two hours.

Finally, Joey had gotten Craig to his bed. He laid him down and covered him with one of the blankets. Craig stared up at him, and Joey could tell he was still upset. "Okay, Craig," he whispered. "I'm not gonna make you go to school tomorrow, okay?" Craig nodded slowly and rested his head against the pillows. "Now go to sleep. You need it." Craig sighed and turned onto his side, facing Joey. He looked up at him for several minutes.

"You don't have to stay in here," Craig muttered. "You can leave if you want."

"I know. But I want to stay here until I know you're asleep." Craig nodded in understanding. He closed his eyes coolly and sighed softly. He finally fell asleep. He didn't feel better, though. He woke up late the next morning. It had to be eleven. He wondered why Joey hadn't woken him up. But then he remembered what happened yesterday. Getting dumped by Ashley had to be one of the worst things that ever happened to him.

He went down to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He looked at all of the food he had at his disposal. But somehow, he wasn't hungry. He scoffed and went back upstairs. He looked at the picture of Ashley t hat was on his nightstand. He picked it up and threw it against the wall. He watched the glass shatter and fall to the floor.

His cell phone started ringing. He picked it up from the floor, where he'd tossed it the night before when he went to bed. The name was clear on the screen. 'Ashley Kerwin'. Craig stared at the screen. He could've answered it. But he wasn't going to. He wasn't going to talk to her. Not after yesterday. He pressed "Decline" and tossed the phone back to the floor.

He fell back onto the bed and actually managed to fall asleep. He woke up and almost forgot where he was. He looked around his room and underestimated how close he was to the middle of the bed and rolled off. He lay on the floor for a second. He was covered in a mass of blankets. Someone came in the room and he wasn't sure who it was.

"Who's there?" Craig shouted from under the blankets.

"Joey. Are you okay?" asked Joey, walking over to the bed. He looked over the edge, where the large pile of Craig and blankets was.

"I'm okay. I got confused and fell off the bed." Craig rolled around for a second before he finally freed himself.

"What time is it?" Craig asked, noticing that he'd accidentally unplugged the alarm clock.

"It's around eight." Craig nodded.

"Where's Angie?"

"She's down with Caitlin watching TV."

"Sounds good to me," said Craig. He got up and swayed slightly before walking toward the door. He went downstairs and sat down next to Caitlin on the couch. He looked at her for a second before leaning his head on her shoulder. Caitlin put her arm around Craig's shoulder. Angela stood up from the other side of Caitlin and went over to Craig and sat on his lap. Craig wrapped his arm around her and held her closely. Joey came and sat down next to Caitlin and rested his hand on her shoulder.

Several minutes later, Caitlin heard something that didn't sound like regular breathing. She turned her head. Sure enough, Craig had fallen asleep on her shoulder. He looked cute when he slept.

"Joey," she whispered. "Look at Craig."

Joey looked over at Craig and smiled. "Poor kid," said Joey. "Of course, it's not his fault he has the ability to sleep all the time."

Angela was still curled up on Craig's lap. She stared at the TV. She was small for nine years old.

"Angela, come on. It's time to get ready for bed," Joey said at 8:25. Angela sighed as she rolled off of Craig.

"I don't want to go to bed," she pouted.

"Well, you need to. You have school tomorrow."

"Fine!" Angela cried as she ran upstairs to the bathroom. Joey rolled his eyes. "I'm never talking to you again!"

"That's okay," Joey said as he went into his own room.

Downstairs, Caitlin was still watching TV with Craig on her shoulder, sleeping peacefully. Joey came back downstairs. "I think it's time Craig went to bed, too," he said quietly. Caitlin sighed and turned her head to Craig. "Craig, it's time to go to bed," she whispered.

"I'm already in bed," Craig muttered.

"No. You're on my shoulder. You need to go to bed. You're going to school tomorrow."

"But I don't want to go to school tomorrow," said Craig, opening his eyes.

"I know. But you have to. Do you have any idea how much school you've missed this year?"

"A lot. But I do not want to go to school tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Ashley's at school. Spinner's at school. Sean's at school."

"I thought you were friends with Sean..."

"I am. But he's always 'concerned'. He has to know everything that's wrong with me. Like the day when I ran away from my dad's. He just needs to know everything." Craig stood up and trudged upstairs. He went to his room and slammed the door behind him.

Joey followed him up and slowly opened the door. "Craig? Is everything okay?" he asked. Craig turned around and looked at Joey.

"No. Nothing's okay. I don't want to go to school tomorrow," he said.

"Well, I'd like it if you did," Joey responded. "Please?"

"Fine," said Craig. "But I can't guarantee a good day."

"Okay. Your teachers tell me you've been a little rebellious lately."

"Yeah. So?" Craig said carelessly. He took his shirt off and exchanged it for a different one, tossing the first one to the floor.

"So? Why have you been acting like that at school?" asked Joey.

"Because...I just have."

"There are reasons you're acting like this. What are they?"

"I'm stupid, that's why! I don't care how I act in school!"

"Well I do!"

"Why? I'm probably not going to university! Why even try? It's not like I can afford it!"

"Craig, I can take care of that."

"No. I don't want you to live out on the streets because you paid for someone that lives off of you to go to college."

"Don't worry about it."

"I have to. All my friends are going to the university and I'm not. I'm the loner who can't afford anything for myself and who's not going to college with my friends."

"Craig, what's wrong?"

"What are you talking about?" Craig said blankly.

"You just now thought about complaining about university. There's something wrong. What is it?"

"I just broke up with my girlfriend, Joey! You can't expect someone that's bipolar and just broke up with their girlfriend to be in their right mind!"

"Being bipolar shouldn't have anything to do with this unless...Craig!"

"What?"

"You told me you were taking them! You told me yesterday that you were taking them!"

"Like I'd tell you otherwise," Craig said quietly. "I don't need them!"

"You do need them!"

"No, I don't. You don't think I'm getting better at all. You just say that to make me feel like I'm doing something right for once."

"No. I think you'll get better if you take them."

"I don't need them, Joey! Stop telling me that! I'm not dependent on drugs!"

"It's not 'drugs'. It's prescription."

"Yeah. Prescription drugs."

"Craig! That's not the point. The point is, without them, you could end up hurting yourself or someone else."

"I don't care. I'm not taking them." Craig sat down on the bed. He stared at the floor.

"What's your problem with taking them?" Craig was quiet for a minute.

"I'm scared," he whispered. Joey walked over and sat down next to him.

"Of what?" he asked. He looked at Craig, ready to listen to what he had to say.

"Of what I'll do if I don't take them," he answered. He stared at his hands and sighed. He ran his hand through his hair.

"Then why don't you?" said Joey, confused.

"Because at the same time, I'm scared of what they'll say."

"Since when did you care what they say?"

"When I asked Manny and Emma and Jimmy for money to pay for the medications."

"Craig, they're not judging you because you're bipolar. They judge you by characteristics. Being bipolar isn't going to change their opinion of you."

"That's not true. Ever since that day, Jimmy and Spinner treat me different. Marco's still Marco, and Manny and Emma act the way they've acted for years. But Jimmy and Spinner...they're stupid. And I don't want to go to school tomorrow because...I don't want to see Ashley."

"I know this sounds really old, but try and ignore her. I know it's hard for you. Just try, okay? For me?"

"Okay, Joey," Craig said, looking up at him. "For you. I'll try for you."

"Thanks." Craig gave Joey a sad smile and hugged him.

"I miss her," said Craig. "I just don't know why I didn't see it." Craig pulled back and laid down on the bed. He covered himself in blankets and rested his head on the pillows. He looked at Joey, who was still sitting on the bed.  
"Goodnight, Craig," said Joey. He stood up to leave the room.

"Goodnight, Joe," Craig responded. Joey smiled and left the room, closing the door behind him. Craig was now in the dark.

Craig, somehow, didn't sleep. But it was no wonder to him; he'd slept for the entire day except for when he first woke up that morning, and when he'd gotten up to watch TV. He started to get bored and annoyed laying in bed in the dark. He rolled off the bed and went into the bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet and took a small pair of scissors out. He closed the door and locked it.

He sat down against the door and held the edge of the scissors to his arm. Second by second, he cut the stitches that remained along his arm. He pulled them out and threw them into the garbage. He looked at the long scar that would probably remain there for most, if not all of, his life.

The edge of the scissors which was still pressed to his skin slid when he was startled by a noise from the other side of the door. His skin was sliced open and he started bleeding. "Craig! Craig! I have to go to the bathroom!" Angela cried.

"Shit..." Craig muttered as he grabbed a small towel from the cupboard. He tossed the scissors into the sink and opened the door. "How'd you know it was me?" he asked, holding the towel to his arm.

"I guessed," Angie answered before pushing past Craig. She shut the door behind her. Craig was about to run to his room before he ran into Joey. He held his arm to the side casually, holding the towel in his hand.

"Joey. What're you doing up?" Craig asked nervously.

"I was going to get some water for Caitlin. Why're you up?"

"Because I rolled over and hit my arm on the nightstand and I went to see if I had hurt it."

"Oh. Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Craig ran into his room and shut the door behind him. He went over to his lamp, which was barely visible in the dark. He turned it on and looked at his arm. There was a small cut, but the cut could bleed a lot. He held the towel to his arm and wondered silently why the smallest cuts hurt the worst. Finally, the blood stopped flowing. He sighed and tossed the towel to the top of the pile of clothes he had next to the bed.

He waited until he heard the door to Joey and Caitlin's room shut and then he went downstairs. He turned the TV on and started flipping through channels. He stopped on a channel that had a very familiar person being interviewed. Kevin Smith. He was talking about his movie. "Shut up," Craig said quietly, changing the channel. He decided to just watch music videos. He was getting more bored by the second. Was it just him or was it getting hot in here? It shouldn't have been...it was only 30 degrees outside. He sighed and unlocked the front door. He stepped outside and sat down close to the door.

The grass was coated in a layer of white powder. "Great. Snow," said Craig. He stood up and walked over to the snow. He rolled a ball of it in his hand. He held it, staring at it. It turned his hand cold and numb, so he dropped it to the ground. He went back into the house and got his jacket, cell phone, and shoes. He put the shoes and jacket on and went back outside. He looked back at the house and then started off down the sidewalk.

He had only walked about four blocks when his cell phone started ringing. He took it out of his pocket; it was probably Joey. Surprisingly, it wasn't. "Sean..." he muttered. He pressed 'Answer' and said, "Hello?"

"Craig? Sorry if I woke you up, but it's important," said Sean.

"Nah, I've been awake. I'm actually outside right now. What's up?" said Craig.

"Oh. Well, if you're already outside, I kind of needed to talk to you. Can you come over?" asked Sean.

"Yeah. I'll be there. I'm only a few blocks away," Craig said coolly.

"Okay. I'll see you when you get here," Sean said. "Later."

"Later," Craig said before pressing 'End'. He wished that the buses ran this late. He was forced to walk through the cold and the snow. He finally made it to the apartment building. He went upstairs and knocked on Sean's door. Ellie answered, and let him in.

Craig sat down on the couch next to Sean.

"Hey, man," said Sean.

"What're you two doing up so late?" Craig asked curiously.

"I could ask you the same question," Ellie answered. "You want something to drink?"

"Water," said Craig. "And I'm only awake because I slept all day. Somehow, I doubt you two did."

"I would be asleep if Ellie and her friends didn't have problems every hour of the day," Sean muttered. Ellie returned from the kitchen with a glass of water and handed it to Craig.

"Thanks, Ellie," Craig said, taking the glass from her.

"Well, Sean," Ellie began. "It's not my fault that people call me to help with their problems. They'd call Paige, but she's never any help." Ellie stood up and walked to the room she shared with Sean.

"So...what did you want to talk about?" Craig asked blankly.

"It's not so much me who wanted to talk to you...it was Ellie, and..." Sean said, trailing off.

"Who?" Craig asked. Ellie emerged from her room, with the last person Craig wanted to talk to. Ashley. Craig stood up and went to the door.

"Craig!" Ellie cried. Craig turned around. "Please, just stay here for a few minutes!" Craig glared at her.

"What is this? Some kind of...sick intervention?" he whispered.

"No. But it's important," Ellie answered.

"I'm going to bed," said Sean. Craig glared at him as he went to his room. Ellie gave Craig a pleading look.

"I'm only staying for two minutes," Craig told her. Ellie smiled. Craig sat back down on the couch, on one side of Ellie, and Ashley on the other.

"Okay, let's begin," said Ellie. "Craig, tell us why you're here."

"Because Sean told me to come over and then you gave me a sad look that made me stay," Craig answered.

"Okay...why didn't you have a problem with coming over?"

"Because I was already awake," Craig said. He was started to get annoyed.

"Why were you awake?" asked Sean. He came out of his room. "I'm not missing this."

"Because I couldn't sleep!" Craig cried defensively.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" Ellie asked quietly.

"Because I slept all day instead of going to school!" Craig almost shouted.

"Why didn't you go to school?" Sean asked simply. Craig didn't answer. "Why?" Sean repeated. Craig looked at his hands. Sean sighed, irritated. "Tell me why you didn't go to school!" he shouted. Craig looked up at him sadly.

"Joey's gonna wonder where I went," he said quietly. He stood up and walked quickly to the door. Sean stood up and grabbed his shoulder.

"You're not leaving until you answer the question!" he yelled. Craig pulled away from him.

"Don't touch me!" he cried. He leaned his head into the door. Ellie and Ashley stood up. Ellie went up to Craig. She put a hand on his shoulder. Sean stepped back and retreated to his room. "Are you okay?" Ellie asked. Craig didn't say anything. Ashley stepped up to the plate and went up to Craig. As quick as possible, she turned him around and jumped onto him. She kissed him, hard. Craig wasn't about to let her drop down to the floor, so he supported her. He couldn't find it in himself to kiss back. She pulled back and hugged him. "Go home," she whispered. Craig let her down, turned, and left.

Craig left the apartment building. He was halfway home when he was stopped by a cop. "Can I help you?" Craig asked. The cop stepped out of the car and closed the door.

"Take your jacket off and put your hands on the car," the cop ordered. Craig did as he was told. Craig got cold instantly. He watched as the cop searched his jacket. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Your parents know you smoke?" the cop asked. Craig shook his head.

"They don't know because I don't smoke," he said.

"Then where'd you get these?"

"This is my friend's jacket," Craig answered.

"What's your friend's name?"

"My friend's name? JT."

"What's his last name?"

"I don't know." Craig looked at the cop and then back to the hood of the car. The cop pocketed the cigarettes. "Get in the car," he said.

"Why? Am I going to jail?" Craig asked quickly.

"No. You're going home. Craig Manning?"

"Yes," Craig muttered. He opened the door to the car and got in the back. He slammed the door shut. Craig looked at the laptop that was sitting next to the cop. Craig's name was clear on the screen. Craig thought about something and pulled out his cell phone. He checked the call log and it said he'd missed a call. Sure enough, it was Joey. He wondered why he hadn't heard the phone ring, and then he remembered that on his way to Sean's, he'd turned the ringer off.

Craig was quiet and cold while the cop drove back to Joey's. The car stopped in front of the house, and Craig waited until the cop opened the door. He stepped out of the car. He walked up to the door, where Joey was standing in the doorway. He looked mad. Craig looked at the ground. "Craig, you must be freezing!" Joey said. "Where's your jacket?" Craig pointed at the cop, who held Craig's jacket in his hand.

"He says this jacket isn't his," the cop told Joey. "Recognize it?"

"Yeah," said Joey. "He's had that jacket for years."

"Well," the cop added. "I found these in his jacket." The cop pulled the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and handed them to Joey. Joey turned and looked at Craig, whose eyes were still fixed on the snow-covered walkway.

"Cigarettes?" Joey said blankly. "Why?" Craig looked up at Joey. His eyes were turning red.

"Don't be mad, Joey," Craig begged. "Don't be mad. I didn't even smoke one. Don't be mad..." Craig hugged him. Joey handed the cigarettes back to the cop, who counted how many were in the box.

"He's not lying," the cop said. "They're all here."

"Thanks for bringing him back," Joey said. The cop nodded and left. "Come on, Craig. Let's go inside." Craig let go of Joey and followed him inside, closing the door behind him. Craig sat down at the kitchen table. Joey thought about yelling at Craig until he was deaf, but he decided against it. He sat down next to Craig.

"Don't be mad at me...don't be mad at me..." Craig kept saying.

"I'm not mad at you," Joey said calmly. "I'm not mad." Craig looked up and gave Joey a small smile.

"Really?" he said quietly.

"Really. I'm not mad."

"I don't smoke. I never smoked. And I never will. I'll never smoke because...I don't want you to be mad at me."

"And I'm not. Why did you leave? I was worried," Joey said.

"Well, first, I couldn't sleep. And then I was just going for a walk. And then Sean called and said he wanted to talk to me, so I went over to his place. Then, him and Ellie gave me this weird intervention-type thing. And Ashley was there. And I left. And...then I got pulled over."

"Did you turn your phone off after Sean called?" Joey asked.

"No. I turned the ringer off. I'm sorry," Craig said shamefully, bowing his head.

"No, no. Don't be sorry. It's okay. Just...go to bed. It's cold outside."

"Okay," Craig muttered.

"Craig, one more thing," Joey added. "We talk tomorrow morning." Craig nodded and went upstairs. He took his shoes off upon reaching his room. He also pulled his socks and jeans off.

He laid down in bed and pulled the blankets over himself. "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm," he sighed. Warmth enveloped him as he fell asleep.

Joey woke him up the next morning. He took his time showering and getting dressed. He put his socks and shoes on and went downstairs.

"Hey, Craig," Joey and Caitlin said plainly. Joey set down his coffee.

"Hey," Craig said back as he sat down. He got a bowl of cereal. "So..." he said.

"Craig, you remember what I said last night," Joey stated.

"Yeah, I know. I already told you—I'm not smoking," Craig said quickly.

"I know that. Where'd you get the cigarettes from?" Joey asked.

"I...Jay," Craig answered.

"I don't want you to see Jay again," Joey said simply.

"But—Joey, he's in like, two of my classes!" Craig cried.

"I don't care. Don't talk to him." Craig glared at Joey. He ate his cereal in silence. Finally, he finished and he rinsed the bowl and headed to the door.

"Bye," he said before opening the door and leaving. Joey was a little concerned that Craig was walking to school in the cold and snow without a jacket. Craig arrived at school, cold. His arms were light pink from the frosty air. He got inside the building and felt instantly warm. He sighed as he walked to his locker. Sean walked up to him a few minutes later.

"Hey, Craig, listen...I'm sorry about last night," he said.

"No. It's cool. I probably shouldn't have left my place at all. Joey called the cops, and then the cop took my jacket, and..."

"And what?"

"And they found cigarettes," Craig finished. Craig turned to go to class when Sean stopped him.

"What cigarettes?" he demanded.

"Just...cigarettes," Craig said quietly.

"Where did you get them?" Sean asked.

"I got them from Jay! God! Why do you always ask so many questions?" Craig shouted.

"Why did Jay have them? He doesn't smoke!" said Sean.

"Don't ask me! He just told me to keep them with me, so I did! How the hell did I know I was going to get pulled over and searched by the cops?" Craig said defensively. Sean just sighed and walked away.

"I don't smoke, Sean!" Craig yelled after him. Manny walked up to Craig after he gave up on Sean.

"Hey, Manny," he said casually.

"Hey, Craig. Did I hear right? You got caught with cigarettes last night?" Manny asked.

"Yeah, I did. But don't worry; I don't smoke. Okay?" said Craig.

"Okay. But why did you get them from Jay?"

"Because he...he gave me back my MP3 player a few days ago. And I thought that was cool of him, and he told me to hold the cigarettes for me. So I did. And I got caught with them. But...it's Ashley's fault. Really, it is. I mean, me getting caught with them."

"How is it her fault?" Manny asked, walking alongside Craig as he walked down the halls.

"Because if she hadn't dumped me, then—"

"_She dumped you?"_ Manny cried, horrified.

"Yeah, she did. Anyway, if she hadn't dumped me, I wouldn't have been able to sleep all day yesterday, and I would be able to sleep at night. And then I wouldn't have stayed up last night and gone on a walk and answered my cell phone when Sean called. Joey wouldn't have called the cops and I wouldn't have gotten caught with them."

"Craig, do you wanna go see a movie tonight? It'll just be us and Emma. I mean, just as friends," Manny said quickly. Craig smiled.

"Sure. I'll call Joey after school," he said.

"Okay, great. See you then," Manny said. The bell rang and Craig turned into the classroom. Craig sat down at his usual computer. Ellie sat down next to him.

"Hey," she said. "What're you doing after school today?"

"I'm going to the movies," Craig answered.

"Oh really? With who?" Ellie asked.

"Um...with Manny and Emma," Craig said.

"Manny?" Ellie said blankly.

"Yeah. She's cool. We're just friends. What's the big deal?" Craig asked.

"Manny...she's your ex...and you..." Ellie stammered.

"Don't talk about it. I've thought about it enough," Craig interrupted.

"Sorry," Ellie said apologetically. Mr. Simpson talked endlessly about the assignment. He finally finished. Craig started on his and finished a few minutes before class was over. He caught Ellie sneaking a few worried looks at him every so often. Finally, he said, "Ellie!" Ellie blushed nervously and stared back at her computer.

The bell rang and Craig stood up from his computer. Ellie followed Craig immediately out of the room.

"Craig!" she cried.

"Ellie, don't talk to me!" Craig shouted.

"Why are you mad at me?" Ellie asked. Craig turned around and faced her.

"Because you're judging me because I'm going somewhere with my friends," he said quietly.

"I'm not...judging you," Ellie whispered.

"Then what would you call it? You're gonna run right back to Ashley and tell her what I'm doing. Then, she's gonna come up and slap me and say I'm a heartless asshole. Then, she's gonna run home to her mom and cry her eyes out and tell her how lame I am. Don't start with me, Ellie!" Craig cried.

"I'm trying to help you!" Ellie retorted. "Obviously, you're not the type that wants help, even though you actually need it!"

"Shut up!" Craig shouted before turning and walking away quickly. The bell rang and Craig was about to turn the corner when someone grabbed his arm. He stopped and looked back. Standing behind him was Jay. "Hey, Jay," Craig said awkwardly.

"Hey, Manning," Jay answered. "Let's step outside." Craig followed Jay outside to the back of the school.

"So..." said Jay. "Word around school is you got pulled over by the cops and he took the cigarettes." Craig bowed his head and nodded.

"Yeah. I did," he said quietly. "But I can pay you back."

"No," Jay told him. "It's okay. I jacked them from some kid in English. He was talking about Alex again. So I took them. He knew it was me who took them and I didn't want to be caught with them, so I gave them to you." Craig frowned.

"Why'd you give back the MP3 player? And where'd you find it?" he asked. Jay was thrown off guard by the question. He didn't really know what to say. He sighed; might as well tell him the truth.

"I felt sorry for you," Jay said finally.

"What?" Craig said blankly. Jay took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair.

"You know...last week...on Thursday..."

"Jay, what are you talking about?"

"We followed you to the cemetery!" Jay shouted. Craig stared at him.

"What?" he said in disbelief.

"We followed you to the cemetery...and when you left, you dropped the MP3 player. And I picked it up and gave it back."

"Who's 'we'?" Craig demanded.

"Me, and Sean, and Spinner, and Marco, and...Ashley," Jay said quietly. He put his hat back on.

"So let me get this straight—you all followed me to the cemetery, you found out what I was doing there, you felt sorry for me and gave me back my MP3 player? Why would you feel sorry for me?" Craig asked.

"Because," Jay answered, "it would've been wrong to take something and sell it when you can't afford another one."

"That's why you feel sorry for me? Because I'm broke? I have none of my own money?" Craig cried.

"No!" Jay shouted. "I don't know why I felt sorry for you! I just do! It's easier for me to steal from people and sell their stuff or use it for myself! And you're lucky I didn't sell it! I had enough heart to give it back to you! There's something wrong with me lately!"

"Something wrong with you? You gave it back. You're Jay. You don't give things back. I think there's something really, really wrong with you," Craig told him.

"I almost have nothing left!" said Jay. "I lost Alex! She doesn't talk to me anymore! I only have two things left in this world—Sean and Spinner. Woo! That's a lot! I used to have tons of friends! But, no. Not anymore. Now I'm just screwed over. I wanted to prove myself and show everyone that I can be something...more."

"So you followed me to my mom's grave? You find my MP3 player and then give it back to me? That's proving yourself, Jay. Absolutely proving yourself." Craig turned to go back inside; it was cold out here.

"Craig! Wait! Don't leave me alone!" Jay cried. Craig turned. He rolled his eyes and walked the few steps back to Jay.

"What?" Craig asked.

"I don't want to be alone anymore. Spinner and Sean don't understand me. You seem to. What're you doing after school?" Jay asked hopefully.

"I'm going to the movies with Manny and Emma..." Craig said. "But if you need me to do something, then..."

"Yeah. I need you to do something after school. I'm alone after school," Jay said.

"How desperate are you?" Craig asked curiously.

"I'm extremely desperate."

"Okay," Craig said. "I'll tell them that Joey said no." Craig and Jay stared at each other for a second. The silence was broken when Craig's cell phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and pressed 'Answer'.

"Hello?" he said casually.

"Craig?" said Joey.

"Yeah...?" Craig responded.

"Meet me in front of the school."

"Right now?"

"Yeah. Right now." Craig shrugged.

"Okay. I'll be there in a second." Craig hung up and dropped the phone back in his pocket. "Um...I'll see you after school, okay? I gotta go." Craig left Jay standing there. He ran around the side of the building. He saw Joey's red sports car, completely fixed and renewed in all its glory, parked in front of the school. He smiled softly and went to the door.

"Hey, Joey," he said. He opened the door and crawled inside. "What's going on?"

"I'm taking you to the hospital," Joey answered.

"What? Why? I'm fine! I'll take them! I'll take them! I'm sorry! I'll take them!" Craig cried quickly. Joey laughed. "How is this funny to you? You wouldn't laugh if you were the one who was supposed to be taking the stupid medications!"

"I'm not taking you to the hospital because of that. I'm taking you to get your cast off," Joey said, still laughing. Craig sighed in relief.

"Thank God," he muttered.

"And then I'm dropping you off to see the therapist." Craig scoffed.

"I hate seeing her. She's annoying," he said.

"Craig, you need to see her," Joey said, starting the car and putting it in drive. He let go of the brakes and put his foot on the gas and started slowly down the road.

"But Joey! All she says is 'And how does that make you feel?'" Craig imitated the therapist and slouched down in the seat. He looked out the window at the snow, which was starting to fall again.

"Craig, I know that she annoys you. Just tell me how this session goes and if it doesn't work, we'll talk about it," Joey offered.

"Fine. But do I really have to answer the 'How does that make you feel' question?" Craig moaned.

"You can answer it once. Just try and act like yourself when you talk to her."

"If I acted like myself when I talked to her, she'd see a side of me she wouldn't want to, and that'd be my butt sitting up and leaving the room," Craig retorted. This made Joey laugh.

"You're hilarious, Craig," he said smoothly. Craig smiled sadly. Joey looked over at him; his smile faded. "What's wrong?" Craig looked over at him.

"Everything's wrong," he whispered. Joey pulled the car over on the side of the road. He pulled out the key.

"What do you mean 'everything'?" he asked softly.

"I do everything wrong," Craig answered. "I can't even go to a party without screwing myself up."

"Craig, what happened...well, that's kind of unexplainable. But..."

"No, Joey. Here's how it works—I would've been fine if I hadn't run away. Sean wouldn't have come back and had the party, and I wouldn't have gotten drunk. But I can't change what happened then. I keep thinking—I shouldn't have even gone to the party. If I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have gotten drunk. And it doesn't matter if I was even on the meds or not because if I was, I likely would've died regardless of me and Ash fighting. Without the meds, the alcohol screwed my mind up even worse than it would have."

"Stop blaming yourself."

"Who am I supposed to blame?" Craig said quietly.

"Here. Put your jacket on. You must be cold." Joey handed Craig his black leather jacket which was sitting in the backseat where Joey had tossed it before he left. Craig took it and put it on. Joey shrugged and started the car back up. He drove to the hospital. Halfway there, Craig leaned himself down so that his head was on Joey's leg. Joey smiled to himself and kept driving. He wondered how Craig could find it comfortable in that position. He finally stopped at the hospital and let Craig get out before finding a parking spot. He walked inside the hospital, where Craig sat reading a magazine. He sat down next to Craig and picked up a magazine for himself.

Craig closed and set his magazine back down on the table. He leaned over to Joey's magazine to see what he was reading. Joey slowly drew his attention from the magazine to Craig, who also slowly looked over at Joey. They both laughed and then Craig sat back down in his own chair. Craig sighed. He was starting to get bored. Joey noticed as Craig started fidgeting with small toys that lay in a bucket next to the chair. He took a toy car and started rolling it up and down his leg. He took another one and took a minute to situate it in his hand. He started rolling both of the plastic cars into each other. He got bored with those. Joey set down his magazine. Craig took two dolls out of the bucket and started playing with them.

Craig's fun was interrupted when the same receptionist that he'd seen a week or so ago called his name and he had to go see Rennips about getting his cast removed. He walked down the halls alongside the woman. "Back again, Craig?" she asked sweetly.

"Yeah. Why? Do you like it when I come back?" Craig asked.

"I'd answer that but saying what I was about to say to the patients is against the policy." She smiled and opened the door to one of the rooms. He sat down on the same bed and Rennips came in the room.

"What's up, Rennips?" Craig said coolly.

"Nothing much," Rennips answered. Craig nodded.

"So...are we getting the cast off?" he asked. Rennips nodded, setting his infamous clipboard on the table.

"Um...do I have to do the measure thing? I haven't grown or gained any weight whatsoever, I swear."

"I'll take your word for it. Okay. Stand up. Sit over there by the sink; we have to soak the cast so that it's easier to take off." Craig shrugged. He stood up from the bed and sat down on the chair next to the sink and rested his arm in the water.

"So...I just have to sit here? For how long?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Oh...it depends. So where are you going after this? Back to school?" Rennips asked.

"Nah," Craig said. "I'm going to see some stupid shrink. She's so annoying!" Rennips laughed.

"I had a therapist when I was about your age, too. I had anger management problems." Craig nodded.

"I sort of have anger management issues. I have since I was like, six." Rennips didn't even ask why Craig had anger management issues. A few minutes later, he told him to pull his arm out of the sink. He made taking the cast off look simple; he simply unwrapped it like any other bandage. Craig stretched out his arm and rolled his wrist around. He sighed in relief.

"Thanks," Craig said before leaving the room. He went downstairs and finally found Joey. He smiled happily and they went back out to the car. Craig put his seatbelt on and Joey started the car.

"I don't wanna go to the shrink!" Craig cried when they were about two blocks away. "She's rude and annoying!"

"Craig! Would you be quiet? She's a very nice woman. Calm down and be quiet. And be nice to her." Craig glared at Joey.

"I knew it," he muttered.

"What?" Joey demanded.

"_Nothing,"_ Craig assured him. 'That you hate me,' he thought. Joey pulled into the parking lot and stopped the car.

"Now remember, Craig: be nice, and...don't tell her everything you think of her. Which, I guess, means be nice," Joey said firmly. Craig nodded silently and opened the door. Just as he was about to get out, he leaned back and hugged Joey. He was quiet as he got out of the car and closed the door. He walked to the building sadly and before he was about to open the door, he looked back at Joey, who was about to leave the parking lot, but still watching Craig to make sure he went inside.

Craig walked into the building, which smelled like that the room he'd been in at the hospital after the accident. He went to his therapist's room and opened the door. She was sitting in her chair as though it were a high-and-mighty throne. Glaring at her, he sat down on the long couch.

"Hello, Craig," she said in a sugary-sweet voice. Craig moaned. "How was your day?" Ugh.

"My day has been about...two hours long. Why do you ask? It's not as if you care," Craig uttered.  
"Craig, is something wrong?" she asked curiously.

"Again!" Craig shouted. "It's not as if you care."

"I do care. I'm here to help you."

"Nobody can help me and nobody should even try."

"Craig, is there something you'd like to tell me?"

"Not particularly. I'd rather talk to my step dad than you because we are both missing the same thing."

"What would that be?"

"Absolutely nothing," Craig answered.

"Craig, you need to talk about problems instead of keeping them bottled up inside."

"I do? God, I didn't realize that." The woman sighed as she jotted a few things down on her clipboard.

"Listen, Craig. I understand your condition. But you cannot disrespect people and use it as an excuse."

"Use what as an excuse? Being crazy? It's not an excuse! It's a reason! I disrespect people all the time and THEY seem to understand just fine! YOU seem to be the ONLY one who DOESN'T understand my condition! I'm sick of having to come here every week and listen to this CRAP that you tell me. Oh, but wait—I believe you forgot to ask me, so I guess I'll turn the question around and ask you. _How does that make you feel?_"

"Okay. I'm going to go get some more coffee. You just sit here and calm down until I come back, okay?" the woman said. She stood and left the room. Craig took his cell phone out of his pocket. He checked the time, and noticed that it was sometime around lunch. He called Manny's cell phone.

"Hello?" Manny answered sweetly.

"Manny, hey, um...I can't go tonight," Craig said uncertainly.

"Craig? Where are you calling from?" Manny asked.

"I'm calling from my cell phone; I'm at the doctor's. Um...Joey told me I can't go tonight, so...sorry. Maybe another time?" Craig suggested.

"Yeah, sure. It's okay. Um...I'll call you later. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay," said Craig. "Later." He pressed END and tossed the cell phone back into his pocket.

The therapist walked back in the room.

"Get your coffee?" Craig asked.

"Yep," she answered. "It's good coffee."

"That's nice," Craig said, leaning on the side of the couch.

"You seem in a better mood," she said, taking a sip of coffee.

"Yep," said Craig.  
"So...how are things at home?" she asked. She set the coffee down on the table.

"Things are okay, I guess. My little sister broke her finger when she fell off the couch. That's about the only bad thing that's happened recently."

"Oh. I see."

"So do I."

"How's your step dad?"

"Um...he's okay. We get in fights sometimes, but they don't last for very long."

"Oh. What do you fight about?"

"Some of the stupidest things," Craig told her. She took another sip from her coffee. "Like, we fought about my mom and my meds, and my friend, and my stuff...stupid things." She nodded and set the coffee back down.

"How are you doing in school?"

"Socially, bad; Grade wise, good. My MI teacher, Mr. Simpson's really nice. He doesn't get mad at me like he used to. He's cool. Ms. Kwan got mad at me and my ex-girlfriend when we were passing notes in class. I don't have problems in the other classes, though."

"Why are you doing socially bad?"

"Because...my girlfriend dumped me, and her friends won't shut up about it. I got caught with cigarettes last night, and they weren't mine, so everyone thinks I smoke. I'm hanging out with this one guy, Jay, and he's got a really bad reputation, and hanging out with him kind of makes me inherit it."

"Oh. Craig...have you ever thought about killing yourself?" Craig looked up.

"What?" he said blankly.

"Suicide. Have you ever thought about it?"

"Uh...yeah. I was going to when I was fourteen, but I didn't. Why?"

"Why were you going to kill yourself when you were fourteen?"

"Because...my dad used to beat me, and it felt like I was never going to get away from him. That was before I thought I could trust anyone, especially Joey." She took another sip from her coffee. Craig looked up at the water dispenser that was only a few feet away. He stood up and walked over to it. He picked up a cup and filled it with cold water before promptly tossing it into the garbage can. He sat back down on the couch. "But that doesn't answer my question. Why are you asking me about suicide?"

"More often than not, teen suicides are caused because of peer pressure and social problems. You seem to have a lot of social problems."

"So you're saying I'm going to kill myself?" Craig asked.

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm asking you if you've ever considered it."

"And I answered you!"

"Craig, if you wouldn't mind, can I see your arms?" she asked. Craig's eyes widened.

"Why? I don't cut myself," he said defensively.

"Craig! Please! Let me see your arms!"

"No!" Craig cried. The woman sat there for a second before she got an idea. She walked over to the thermostat and turned the temperature up to 90۫. She was wearing a simple cami top and a black skirt. Craig wondered why anyone would wear those clothes in this weather. He, however, was wearing his jeans, T-shirt, and black leather jacket. Soon, he started getting overheated and sweating. He felt as though he were about to pass out.

"FINE!" he shouted. He pulled his jacket off and tossed it next to him. "Look at them! Okay?" He held his arms out. His right arm was covered in cuts; not self-induced ones, of course, but ones that had happened on accident.

"Craig," she said softly. "If you were hurting yourself, you should've just said so."

"For one thing, I'm NOT hurting myself! Another thing, being hurt isn't something you _just_ say. Me and my mom were too scared to talk about what happened to us! It's not something I could _just_ say!"

"Craig, honey, you're in denial."

"Denial of _what_? I'm not _doing_ anything! And don't call me _honey_! You're like_ forty_, you pervert!"

"Craig, I'm gonna call your step dad, and I'm gonna talk to him. He's gonna come get you and take you home and I'll talk to him, okay?" Craig glared at her venomously. He ran over to the thermostat and shut it off. He then took his jacket and ran all the way outside.

He sat on the curb out in the parking lot in the snow. He put his jacket on and waited for Joey to show up. Twenty minutes later, he did, and Craig got in the car. They both sat in silence. Joey arrived at the house and Craig quietly went upstairs and into his room. He took off his jacket and laid on his bed with his head at the bottom. He rested his head in his arms and closed his eyes. He breathed peacefully for a few minutes. It felt good to lay like this. It annoyed him that the bottom of his pants was wet from the snow on the curb.

Joey came into the room a short while later. He kneeled down on the side of the bed next to Craig. He ran his hand through Craig's hair. Craig opened his eyed and turned his head to face Joey. He smiled.

"Hi, Joey," he said.

"Hi, Craig," Joey said, smiling.

"I want you to know that I'm not cutting myself," Craig informed him.

"Shh...Don't worry about that right now," Joey whispered. He rested his hand on Craig's back. "I just wanted to see how you were doing." Craig sighed.

"I'm doing okay. I think I just need to chill out in here for a little while. You can go back to work or whatever you were doing."

"Are you kidding? I'm not standing out at the lot in this weather. The lot's closed until the snow goes away." Craig smiled. "Well, I'll just leave you alone in here, then."

"Okay. Bye, Joey."

"Bye, Craig." Joey walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind him. Craig returned to his original position and dozed off. He woke up an hour or two later. He rolled over and stood up. He went and turned his lamp on. The room filled with more light. He looked over and found just what he needed—his guitar. He picked it up and turned on the amp. He started playing it when Joey walked in.

"Happy now that you can play?" Joey asked. He sat down on the bed next to Craig. Craig nodded and stopped the sound.

"Yeah. I am. I love this guitar. Thanks for buying it back for me. You should try playing it; it's fun."

"Okay," Joey said. Craig handed him the guitar and put the strap around his neck.

"There. Now just start strumming, JoJo." Joey gave Craig a mock glare of death. He started strumming. "See? Isn't it fun?" Joey smiled at Craig and handed him the guitar.

"It's fun, Craig," Joey assured him. Craig started playing his own music. "I'm gonna go pick Angie up from school, okay? I'll be back in a little while." Joey stood up and Craig nodded. He then realized what time it was. He waited until Joey left and he ran downstairs, almost dropping his guitar on the floor when he set it back down on the stand.

He picked up the phone and called Jay. "Hello?" someone said.

"Is Jay there?" Craig asked.

"Yeah, hold on..." the person answered. Craig waited for a second until Jay picked up the phone.

"Hello?" he said.

"Jay, it's Craig. I'm sorry I didn't meet you after school. I was all over the place today."

"It's cool. Uh...what're you doing now?" Jay asked.

"Standing here being bored. My step dad just left to go pick up my sister."

"Oh. Can you leave?"

"Yeah."

"Meet me at the Dot, okay?" Jay said quickly.

"Okay," Craig answered. "I'll be there." He hung up the phone and ran back upstairs. He picked up his jacket and put his cell phone in his pocket. He was about to walk out the door when he ran into Caitlin, who was probably just getting back from work.

"Caitlin. Hi. Um...I'm going to the movies with Manny and Emma. . Okay?" he said nervously.

"Yeah, okay," Caitlin said. "Bye, Craig." Craig ran out the door, shutting it behind him. He walked in the cold to the Dot. He went inside to find Jay already sitting at one of the tables. He sat down across from him.

"Took you awhile," Jay noted.

"Yeah. I walked here." Spinner came up to the table.

"Hey, Spinner," the two said.

"Okay. What do you guys want?" Spinner asked.

"Water," Craig answered.

"Pepsi," said Jay.

"Okay. I'll be right back," Spinner said, walking away. He returned a minute later and set the two drinks down on the table. He sat down next to Jay.

"So, what's the deal here? Craig, why are you so boring these days?" he asked.

"Boring? What're you talking about, Spinner? My life is lame. Did you ever get that idea?" Craig said coldly.

"Yeah, I did," Spinner said. "But it was just a question. Really. You don't have to be so rude."

"I'm not being rude. You're being annoying."

"Whatever."

"Spinner. Shut up," Jay said quietly. Spinner stood up and went back to work. "Finally. Come on. I have something for you." Jay led Craig outside, leaving their drinks behind. He'd pay Spinner back later. He got into his car, telling Craig to do the same.

"Okay...so...what?" Craig said uncomprehendingly.

"First, we have to go somewhere. Then I'll show you," Jay said expressionlessly. He turned on the radio and he started down the road. They went a few blocks, then about another mile. He stopped at an old house. They sat there with the car parked in front of it. The house looked horrible; it was a bad color of yellow, and there was garbage everywhere. Craig swore that he saw a rat run across the driveway.

Jay reached under the seat and pulled out two bottles. He handed one to Craig. "Life sucks," he said. Craig took the cap off of the bottle. They got out of the car and Craig threw the cap to the ground. He drank a large portion of the alcohol that occupied the bottle.

They went to the front door and Jay kicked the door open. He took a long drink from his bottle.

"Does anyone live here?" Craig asked.

"Nope. Abandoned," Jay said.

Craig finished his vodka and realized it was a glass bottle. He held the bottle's neck and slammed the bottle against the wall. The rest of the glass shattered and fell to the floor, but the neck still stood.

"Everyone thinks...I'm trying...to kill myself," Craig said. "So I think it's time everyone's right." Jay turned and looked just as Craig took his jacket off and draped it on his shoulder. He slid the edge of the glass along his left arm. Craig lifted the glass to do it a second time before Jay ran over to him.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"I'm doing what everyone wants," Craig said in a low tone.

"This isn't what everyone wants."

"Yeah. It is." Craig slashed the glass along his arm several more times, while Jay stood there and stared at him. The blood streamed from Craig's arm and onto the yellowing carpet. He went into the bathroom and almost vomited. The toilet, bathtub, and sink were all filled with dark brown water. He ran out and slammed the door shut. "Don't go in there!" Craig warned Jay.

"Craig! I have a towel in my car! Come on!" Jay shouted. Craig was about to run out of the house when he saw something moving in a box.

"Hold on!" he shouted. His head was starting to hurt and he was about to fall. He opened the box.

"Jay! Hold on!" he shouted again. "I found a cat! I can't leave it here alone!" He picked the cat up. It was a small, gray cat. It was cold and skinny. He wrapped it in his jacket, which he'd picked up from the floor before running to the door. He carried it outside, blood still leaking from his wounds. He got into Jay's car. Jay handed him the towel from the back seat and Craig wrapped it around his arm. He handed Jay the cat. Jay looked at it. The cat looked back at him. Craig found a rubber band on the floor and used it to keep the towel on his arm. He took the cat back from Jay.

"You're not gonna crash, are you, Jay? Because if you are, I'll walk home."

"No. You drink that stuff enough and you become numb to it." Craig shrugged. "Besides, I'm not letting you walk home like this. You're drunk, dude. I'm not stupid."

"Why do you wear your hat all the time?" Craig asked.

"Because I don't like my hair," Jay answered.

"What's wrong with your hair?" Craig took Jay's hat off and started stroking his light brown hair. "It's soft." Jay rolled his eyes.

"That's nice. Now stop touching it. Play with your little friend."

"Shhh!" Craig cried. "He's sleeping." Sure enough, the little gray cat was sleeping peacefully in Craig's jacket.

Jay resituated his hat and started driving. Craig's cell phone started ringing. He answered it.

"Hello?" he said.

"Craig! Where are you?" Joey shouted.

"I'm...hold on. I'm in the car," Craig said sweetly.

"With who?"

"With my two friends," Craig answered.

"Who are they?" Joey demanded.

"One of them is Jay. The other one doesn't have a name." Joey sighed.

"Craig, get home. Now." Joey hung up.

"Joey says for me to go home now," Craig told Jay.

"That's kind of where I was taking you," Jay said.

"Okay." Jay pulled up in front of Craig's house. Craig stumbled out of the car, still holding the cat. He went to the front door. Jay drove away and Craig opened the door. Joey and Caitlin were sitting at the table, a scene Craig was familiar with.

"Joey! Look what I found! It's a baby cat!" Craig said happily, sitting down next to Caitlin. Caitlin stroked the cat's head softly.

"Craig, no. No cats," Joey said immediately.

"But Joey! He's all alone and nobody wants him! He's homeless! He's got nowhere to go, just like me! And you wouldn't throw me out on the streets, would you?" Craig said hopefully. Joey looked at Craig, then at the cat. "And he has no food or water and it's cold outside and it's almost Christmas. Nobody wants to be alone on Christmas. Please!" Craig begged. Angela ran downstairs from her room.

She looked at the cat that was wrapped up in Craig's jacket. She gasped. "It's a kitty!" she cried happily. She ran over and petted him.

"Yeah. And he's Craig's cat now," Joey said, sighing. Craig sighed.

He passed the cat over to Caitlin and went up to the cupboards. "Do we have tuna?" Craig asked. "That cat hasn't eaten in forever." He turned to look through another cupboard when he swayed and fell to the floor. Joey ran over to him.

"Craig, are you okay?" Joey asked. "What happened to your arm?"

"I'm fine! I'm fine! I—" Craig began. Joey smelled his breath.

"Have you been drinking?" he asked. Craig leaned on the sink as he stumbled upward.

"N-no," he muttered. "I feel sick." Joey sighed heavily and led him to the bathroom. He held his head up while he threw up in the toilet. Craig groaned and spit the rest of the contents of his stomach into the bowl and reached around for the handle. He pushed it down and flushed it. He turned around and sat up against the toilet.

"I'm sorry. I did it again," he whispered. "I need to take meds, huh?"

"Yeah. You do. Because if you would've taken them, you wouldn't have drank. But you didn't. And if you did take your meds and you still drank...there'd probably be no more Craig. And yes, I'm mad. But not at you. I need to take better care of you."

"No. You don't. You take care of me just fine. I need to take better care of me. It's not your fault."

"We're going to see the therapist tomorrow, okay? I know you don't like her. But we're going."

"Who's we?" Craig asked.

"Me, you, and some of your friends."

"What? Why?" Craig cried.

"It's a method of therapy. Sean, Marco, Ellie, and...Ashley. I know you two aren't talking, but it's important that she's there. Okay? You don't have to say anything. I promise." Craig grabbed onto the counter and stood up.

"Fine," he said. "I'll go. But I'm not talking." He walked past Joey and left the room. He walked down the hall to his own room. He laid down on the floor. Joey glanced into his room, where Craig lay on the floor. He sighed sadly. He went downstairs to find Caitlin gone.

"Angie, where's Caitlin?" Joey asked.

"She went to the store to get some food for the kitty," Angie answered, scratching the cat's ears.

"Okay. You just stay down here with the cat, okay?" Joey said. "I'm gonna go take care of Craig." Angie shrugged and kept petting the cat. Joey went upstairs to Craig's room. He kneeled down next to Craig and started rubbing the space between his shoulders with one hand. Craig sighed contently.

Craig pushes himself up from the ground and crawls the short distance to Joey, who is now leaned up on the end of the bed. He is now right next to Joey, and slowly, he leans into him. Joey supports Craig's back with one arm, and rubs his back with the other. Craig rests his head on Joey's shoulder. He wraps his arms around him. He sobs freely onto Joey's shirt, soaking it with tears. Joey wonders what he's upset about, but it's not the right time to ask. There is a lot he could be upset about now—Ashley, the therapy tomorrow, school, the drinking...too much. Joey holds Craig, uttering words of comfort. Slowly but surely, the crying stops. Craig's breathing becomes easier. Joey leans Craig back. He smiles sadly. His eyes are still red, and Joey's shirt is still wet. Joey smiles back. "You okay now?" Joey asks. Craig nods. He hugs Joey one more time.

"You're the best dad ever," he whispers before pulling back. "I'm gonna go take a shower." Craig rolls over and stands. Joey does the same. Joey goes downstairs to make sure Angie's still alive. Craig goes into the bathroom and takes a shower. He emerges, fresh and clean, and gets dressed. He goes downstairs.

"Hey, everyone," he said. He sat down on the couch. He picked up the cat and set it on his lap. He pet it and watched TV. Caitlin came back with a bag of dry cat food and a few cans. She also has two small, plastic bowls a cat bed. Craig smiled and stood up with the cat. He filled one bowl with fresh, cold water, and the other with dry cat food. He set it on the floor and put the cat next to it. The cat began eating immediately. Craig watched the cat eat. He ate all the food in the bowl and then wanted more. Craig happily refilled the bowl. The cat ate more, drinking water in-between. Soon, the cat was full and it fell asleep in the bed that Caitlin had bought for him.

The Next Day

Craig dreaded the moment when he would walk into the therapy clinic and face Ashley. Too soon, Joey said, "Craig. It's time to go." Craig put his jacket on and before he walked out the door, he talked to Angie.

"Take care of the cat," he whispered. Angie nodded and went back to the couch with Caitlin. Craig sadly walked out of the house, closing the door behind him. He got into Joey's car and put his seatbelt on. Joey took several turns that weren't what Craig was used to when he went to the therapist.

"Where're we going?" Craig asked.

"We're going to pick up Ashley, Marco, Ellie, and Sean," Joey answered. Craig scoffed and huddled toward the door.

"How are they all gonna fit in here?" Craig asked.

"Ellie's sitting on Sean's lap," said Joey. Craig shrugged. He stared out the window. The first stop was at Marco's. Joey got out and let Marco in.

"Hey, Marco," Craig muttered.

"Hey, Craig," Marco said calmly. Then, they stopped at Ashley's. Ashley trotted out and sat next to Marco. Then, it was Ellie and Sean. Sean got in first, and then Ellie sat on Sean's lap. Joey got back in the car and he drove off. Craig could hear them all whispering back there. About him, of course. "Shut up," Craig said quietly. "Shut up...shut up..." Everyone stopped talking and they were quiet until they got to the clinic. Craig got out of the car and walked quickly to the door. He jogged to the therapist's room. He opened the door and ran inside. He occupied the end of the long couch, farthest away from the therapist.

Several minutes later, Joey, Ashley, Sean, Ellie, and Marco came in. Joey sat at the other end of the couch, while Ashley and Marco sat in two chairs that were there. Ellie sat next to Craig, and Sean sat between Joey and Ellie. Ellie put her hand on Craig's arm. He looked over at her and gave her a fake smile.

"This is Sean, Ellie, Ashley, and Marco," Joey told the woman.

"Okay. Good, good. Craig's friends?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," Joey answered. Craig curled up into a ball on the couch, not talking. Craig listened to them all talk. Joey talked about how he acted at home.

Sean talked about the incident after he ran away from his dad. Ellie talked about how she didn't believe that Craig was cutting because she used to, and she'd recognize the behavior. Marco said that Craig wouldn't try to kill himself because...it wasn't in his nature. Ashley talked for about a half-hour about Craig's behavior and how he'd always acted like he was okay. She talked about Craig being 'perfect'. Craig still didn't look at anyone, or say anything.

At the end, everyone was focused on Craig. Craig had lost focus on it. "Craig," Ellie said quietly. "Take off your jacket." Craig looked at her, begging her not to repeat it, so that maybe he could act as if he didn't hear her. Unfortunately, she said it again. Craig shook his head.

"Okay, everybody, off the couch," Sean commanded. Ellie and Joey stood up from the couch. "Joey, I'm gonna need your help." Sean held Craig down while Joey removed his jacket. Craig immediately curled up into a ball, hiding his arms.

"Craig, let me see your arm," Sean said. Craig shook his head.

"Craig, please," Ellie said calmly. Craig shook his head again. "Okay. Come here, Craig. We're just gonna step outside for a second. I have to talk to you." Craig nodded and stood up, holding his arms to himself. They left the room and went down the hall. They went into a small room with a couch and a small house plant.

"Let me see your arms, Craig," said Ellie. Craig looked at her for a second and then released his arms. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. He felt Ellie run her fingers along the cuts.

"Craig..." she said. Craig stood up and went back to the therapist's room, Ellie right behind him. He walked over and sat down next to Sean. He held his arm out to him. Sean looked at him, but Craig had buried his face in his free hand. Sean put his hand on Craig's back.

"Okay," the woman said. "Sean, Ellie, Marco, and Ashley, could you go downstairs? Joey, Craig, and I are going to talk." Ellie, Marco and Ashley left the room before Sean.

"Okay, Sean can stay," said the therapist. Craig leaned onto Sean's shoulder, crying. Sean put his arm around Craig's shoulder.

"Joey, people with Craig's...problem are usually in need of treatment. If you want him to stop, I would recommend putting him in the psychiatric ward in the hospital for a few weeks. You can have him out before school starts if you do it soon." The thought of being in the psych ward of the hospital for three weeks killed Craig and made him sob even more.

"Okay," Joey muttered. "Three weeks...make him better..." He looked over at Craig, who was still leaning on Sean's accepting shoulder. "I'll do what it takes to get him better," Joey said. Craig stood up from the room and ran down the hall. He went into the bathroom and threw up in one of the stalls. Sean was standing outside the stall when Craig turned around.

"He's getting rid of me, Sean," he said desolately.

"He's not getting rid of you. He wants to make you better," Sean said reassuringly.

"He is! He's getting rid of me! He doesn't want me anymore! And...better from what? I'm not sick! And I'm not trying to kill myself! Why won't anyone believe me?" Craig cried.

"I believe you. And Ellie and Ashley and Marco believe you. But...Joey...his opinion is what matters. I'm sorry." Sean left the bathroom and Craig went back to the car, passing Ellie, Marco, Ashley and Sean, who were still in the waiting room of the building.

"Sean, what happened?" Ashley asked worriedly.

"It's over," Sean answered. "Joey's sending him to the psych ward for three weeks." Ellie gasped.

"But he's not doing anything! He doesn't deserve that!" she cried.

"I know. But it's not my decision, and it's not Craig's decision. It's Joey's," Sean replied. They waited for Joey to pass them before following him back out to the car. Not a word was said the entire way. Joey dropped Sean and Ellie off first. Ellie ran to the other side of the car, to Craig's door. She opened it and wrapped her arms around him. "You'll be okay," she whispered.

Craig gave her another fake smiled and she shut the door. Joey pulled out and drove off to Ashley's. He dropped her off and then dropped off Marco. Craig regretted not looking at Marco the entire time, figuring that he'd never see him again. Joey then started driving home. He was probably going to take Craig tomorrow or later that day. They got to the front of the house and Craig opened the door. He went inside and found Caitlin just coming downstairs. He ran up to her and hugged her. She hugged him back, not sure of why he was hugging her at all. But it's not like it annoyed her, just confused.

Craig then pulled back and ran up to his room, slamming and locking the door behind him. He sat on the edge of his bed, considering suicide right there. He could hang himself...or slit his wrists...or he could climb up onto the roof and jump off head-first. He sat in silence until he heard yelling coming from downstairs; another Joey and Caitlin fight. Angela and the cat must've been in her room because he hadn't seen her when he first walked in. He walked over to the door and unlocked it. He opened it slowly and crawled to the top of the stairs, listening.

"He's my step son and he needs help! I'll do what it takes to make him better!" Joey shouted.

"He's my step son too and you can't just send him away like that!" Caitlin argued back.

"Don't tell me what I can and can not do, Caitlin!" Joey barked.

"You know he doesn't deserve this! It's almost Christmas and you're sending him away like he doesn't live here at all!" Caitlin screamed.

"He needs help! He's going to kill himself without it!" cried Joey. Craig heard him slam something into the floor.

"He's not trying to kill himself! And even if he was, I could see why! I wouldn't want to live somewhere where nobody seemed to give a crap about me, either!" Caitlin yelled.

"I seem to be the only one who does give a crap about him!"

"Yeah, Joey. And _I'm_ the one who's sending him off to some psych ward for a month, and _I'm _the one who punched him in the face, and _I'm_ the one who makes him feel worthless on a daily basis, right?" Caitlin said. Her voice was deathly quiet for someone who was in a heated argument. Come to think of it, Caitlin was right. She'd never hurt Craig in any way. She'd never hit him or insulted him. And she was against getting rid of him for three weeks. Craig went into the bathroom, still crawling. He shut the door quietly and leaned up against it. He heard someone coming up the stairs and prayed that it wasn't Joey.

Fortunately, it was just Caitlin. She knocked on the door. "Craig? Are you okay?" she asked soothingly. Craig sighed.

"No," he answered. He heard Caitlin sit down on the other side of the door.

"Craig..." she said. "I can't even make up an excuse for what he's doing."

"Neither can I, Caitlin. He hates me. That's the only excuse. He's just looking for a way that he can get rid of me."

"Craig, I know...it's not fair. But...he feels the need to put you in there."

"Sean says that Joey's not getting rid of me; he's getting me help. Sean doesn't believe that I'm doing anything. Neither does Ellie or Ashley or Marco or anyone for that matter. I think that therapist needs to go in the psych ward." Caitlin laughed.

"She doesn't sound that exciting," she said.

"Caitlin, you're considered my guardian, right?" Craig asked.

"Yeah..." Caitlin answered. "Pretty much."

"Okay. If I really hate it there, can you promise to get me out?" Craig said hopefully.

"I'll see what I can do," Caitlin said, sighing. Craig stood up and opened the door. Caitlin stood up. She was short compared to Craig. That was when Craig heard Joey call him from downstairs.

"Come on, Craig!" he called. Craig felt like he was a soldier about to go to war. But he didn't feel brave or courageous; he felt scared and alone. Tears ran down his cheeks as he turned to go downstairs. Caitlin stopped him. Craig looked down at her.

"Caitlin, I have to leave," he whispered. Caitlin hugged Craig supportively. Craig pushed past her and went into his room. He went into his closet and curled up into fetal position. Joey went upstairs to go get him. He went into Craig's room, and then to his closet. Sure enough, that's where he was. He didn't move or speak. Joey went into to the closet, and that's when Craig stood up and ran outside. Joey followed him and found him sitting in the car. Joey got in the car and started it. Craig stared out the window, curled up on the seat. Joey glanced over at him several times.

Finally, they reached the hospital. Joey looked over at Craig. Craig got out of the car and walked the long, lonely walk to the psychiatric ward of the hospital. Joey signed Craig in and Craig was led to his room.

He got into his bed and rolled onto his stomach, facing away from the door. Joey came in the room, but left without another word. That was when Craig's heart was completely broken. Joey had been too self-centered to talk to him about why he was there. Ashley had dumped him. Caitlin was the only person who seemed to care about him anymore. Craig was there for the next three weeks, including Christmas, when he'd be alone. He didn't leave the room at all. Several times, someone would pass by his room. The door was open. One woman was saying, "I'm going to see the VIP. I'm going to see the VIP." Another was upset because she wanted her pants.

"I WANT MY SWEAT PANTS!" she screamed. She ran into Craig's room and started yelling at him, "I WANT MY SWEAT PANTS! I KNOW YOU HAVE THEM!" These incidents actually happened when my grandparents put my cousin in the hospital for a psych evaluation (don't ask why, 'cause I don't know).

Craig stared at her. A doctor came in and took the woman's arm. "We have your sweat pants," he said. "We have your sweat pants..." Other than that, the hospital wasn't exciting. He didn't watch TV or talk. There was no music, and he didn't get morphine so that he could sleep. He didn't even bother to eat, but he did drink the water that mysteriously appeared on his nightstand every morning.

On Christmas, he lay in bed, alone. He wondered what kind of great day Joey was having with his perfect family, not including Craig. At around ten in the morning, Craig was surprised when three people showed up. Of course, it was not the Joey-Angie-Caitlin trio that he had hoped for. It was Sean, Ellie, and Jimmy. He rolled onto his back and looked at them. He didn't say anything.

"Hi, Craig," Ellie said happily. Craig stared at her. They all pulled up chairs, except for Jimmy, who had brought his own. Craig wondered why they were even allowed in. "We brought you Christmas presents." Sean handed Craig three packages, one from each of them. Craig smiled uneasily. He opened the first one, which was from Jimmy. It was a George Michaels CD. Craig smirked and Jimmy started laughing.

Ellie's was a simple card. Craig opened it and read it out loud, the first time he'd spoken in almost two weeks. "_Mom, I wanted you to know that I still love you and I wanted to wish you a_ _merry Christmas. Love, Ellie_," he said. Ellie gasped and snatched the card from Craig.

"That's the wrong card! I'm sorry, Craig. I'll give you yours when I find it," she said, blushing.

Craig opened Sean's. To his surprise, it was a book. He'd never thought Sean would go into a bookstore, let alone spend money on one. This book must've cost around $25. It was called "Rock Theory". Craig thanked them, but silently wished that Sean hadn't spent so much money on the book.

"Okay, Craig," said Jimmy. "I have one question for you—why 'Faith'?" Craig sighed.

"Because when I was younger my mom used to take me for drives around in Joey's car, and that's what she would listen to," he answered solemnly. That was the end of the conversation. Nobody was really for talking about Craig's mom on Christmas.

Ellie started another conversation, and they talked for about two hours. Then, it was time for everyone to leave. The phone rang the next day.

Craig didn't answer it. He figured that whoever was calling had played some part in putting him in here. They didn't deserve his attention. He turned onto his side and again faced away from the door. The nurse came in when the phone was ringing.

"Craig, honey, your phone's ringing," she said. Craig didn't answer, but he sighed. The nurse sat down on the bed. "You can't ignore them forever," said the nurse. She rubbed Craig's shoulder. Craig hadn't talked to her, either. Ellie, Jimmy, and Sean had been the only people he'd talked to these last two weeks. And Joey hadn't even bothered to come see him. One week from now, Craig would leave. The nurse sighed and picked up the phone.

"Hello? Yes, he is, but he's still not talking to anyone...some kids came by yesterday to see him...okay...alright...goodbye." She turned back to Craig. Craig was now faced away from her, toward the door, with his knees to his chest. She wanted to hug him, tell him everything would be better. But she couldn't. She left the room without another word. The next week passed without any excitement. Craig lounged around in his room, thinking. Thinking...about Ashley, Angie, Caitlin, Ellie, Sean, school...going home. That's where he was supposed to be going later today. However, there were no signs of Joey or Caitlin coming to get him. Night approached, and soon it was eleven. Then, he fell asleep about six hours later, wondering why nobody had come to get him. Days passed. Nobody came to get him. He stopped waking himself up. That final day. January 4th.

His door opened, and someone emerged. It wasn't Joey, however. Thank God. Joey was the last person Craig was going to talk to. It was Caitlin; his savior. She sat down on Craig's bed. Craig sat up, his body weak. He hugged her. "Joey's down the hall talking to the nurse," Caitlin whispered. Craig scoffed.

Down the hall, in the waiting room, the nurse that had come into Craig's room every morning and night to make sure that he was still alive and non-destructive was talking to Joey.

"I've listened to him cry himself to sleep for the last three-and-a-half weeks," she said. "I've never had a patient his age. He hasn't spoken to anyone, except maybe those kids that came in to see him on Christmas. Those kids that should've been you."

"I didn't want to hurt him more," Joey replied. "He would've been more upset if I left after showing up than he probably was with me not showing up at all."

"Either way, you should've at least called. He hasn't eaten since he got here, and he didn't come in here with an eating disorder, and I wasn't going to shove it down his throat. He hasn't even acted like there was anything wrong, except for maybe being a scared and upset. Somehow, I don't think he's going to be talking to you for a while. You'd better go see him." Joey nodded, thanked her and left. He went down the hall to Craig's room. He went inside, just to find Caitlin sitting on the bed, alone. "Where's Craig?" Joey asked.

"He's in the car. I just needed to be here so that you would know that. Now let's go," Caitlin said quickly. Joey could tell she was still extremely irritated with him about putting Craig here in the first place. After talking to the nurse, Joey felt terrible about leaving Craig here. He followed Caitlin to the car, which was out in front of the parking lot. Craig, sure enough, was in the back seat of Joey's red car. Caitlin got in the car with the presents that Jimmy and Sean had given him. Caitlin had told Craig upon arrival that Ellie had dropped off the right card the other day.

Craig sat behind Caitlin, as far away from Joey as he could. Craig didn't say anything the entire way back. He went slowly into the house. He saw Emma and Manny watching TV with Angie on the couch in the living room. They looked over at him, but he looked away and went upstairs. Caitlin motioned for the two to go upstairs.

The two whispered amongst themselves as they quietly went upstairs. Manny opened the door to Craig's room and they entered. It was dimly lit in the room. Neither said anything. They couldn't see Craig. Emma felt around for Manny. "Emma!" she hissed. Emma knelt down on the ground next to Manny. Craig was lying on the floor, motionless. This must've been something he did often. Emma was surprised when Manny rested her head on Craig's back.

Emma got brave and laid down with her head next to Manny's.

Craig sighed. Manny sat up, Emma following, and leaned down next to Craig's ear. "Hey. I've gotta go, but if you need anything, call me, okay?" she said. Craig nodded and Manny and Emma left.

Craig stood up and left his room. He went into the bathroom. He flicked the light on and looked at his reflection. There were dark circles under his eyes. He lifted one side of his shirt up. He was able to see his ribs. He looked at his arms. The dark red had disappeared, but the pale scars remained. They probably always would. He wasn't now, and wasn't going to be too keen on talking, but he would probably start eating again soon. He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw that Caitlin was standing in the doorway. "Hey," she said calmly. Craig looked at her to let her know that he acknowledged her presence. "You look horrible," Caitlin said plainly.

Craig shrugged. "Come downstairs," she said quietly. Craig shook his head. "Craig, come on." Craig didn't look at her. "You don't want to see Joey?" Caitlin asked. Craig again shook his head.

"Do you want to go somewhere else to eat?" Craig thought about it for a second and then nodded.

"Okay. Come on." Craig pushed past her and then grabbed his sweatshirt from his bedroom floor. He was cold. He went downstairs and got into Caitlin's car. She turned the heater on and they drove around for a while. Craig stared out at the fresh, white powder that layered the ground.

Caitlin finally stopped at a fast food place. She went through the drive-thru because she figured Craig wouldn't want to be seen by anyone from school while he was in this condition. Craig ate his food slowly. When all he had left was French fries, he cleared his throat. "Could you drop me off at Sean's?" he asked. Caitlin looked at him for a second before saying,

"Sure." She drove to Sean and Ellie's apartment building. Craig thanked her for driving her there and he got out of the car and went up to Sean's apartment. He answered and he didn't recognize Craig at first. He then recognized his sweatshirt and let him in. Craig sat down on the couch. Ellie and Sean looked at him pitifully. "So..." said Sean. Craig swallowed hard.

"Did you...talk to Joey yet?" Craig shook his head slowly. "I'm having a party next week. They just put the indoor pool in downstairs. I asked the landlord guy and he said that I can have a small party down there, but I'm liable if anyone gets hurt. You wanna come?" Craig shrugged.

"How've things been around here?" Craig asked.

"Okay, I guess," Sean answered.

"Um...I don't know why I came over. I just needed to get away from that house. I want to stay away from there as long as I can. Can I just crash here tonight? I don't want to go back to Joey's right now." Sean nodded understandingly.

"Sure. Yeah," he said.

"Thanks, Sean," Craig muttered. "For everything." Sean nodded.

"You don't have to thank me. It's cool. Me and Ellie were just about to go to bed."

"Oh. Well...thanks. Still." Sean smirked and he followed Ellie to their bedroom. Sean turned the light off on his way, and Craig slowly drifted to sleep on the couch.

He woke up early the next morning. He'd gone to sleep at around seven last night. He was contemplating whether or not to go to Sean's pool party. He hated swimming, but maybe he could just go to the party and not swim...sounded good. He heard Sean's bedroom door open and Ellie came out. He figured that Sean was still sleeping. "Want some breakfast?" she asked. Craig wondered how she knew that he was awake.

"Sure," Craig answered. Ellie sang to herself as she made breakfast. Craig stood up and walked over to the counter. He leaned up against it as he watched Ellie cook. She glanced over at him and smiled.

"Wow, Craig. You're so skinny! What's your secret?" she said sarcastically.

"Don't eat for almost a month," Craig answered. "But I don't think it'd be safe for you. You're small enough already."

"I'm only...what...51 kilos," Ellie responded. She picked up the spatula and turned over the eggs.

"And you...well, I'm almost scared to say it...you're probably about the same now." Craig shrugged.

"I don't want to go to school tomorrow," Craig said. "Everyone is going to stare at me." He figured that since it'd been two days since school had started again, they'd wonder where he'd been.

"Wear a jacket and...I'll see what I can do about your eyes. I've got an idea! Hold on..." Ellie said quickly, running out of the room. She returned with a small makeup container.

"Ellie, no. I'm not wearing makeup to school," Craig said firmly.

"Do you want people to stare at you?" Ellie asked. Craig shook his head. "Okay, then. I'll come by before school tomorrow and cover up the circles." Ellie put the cover-up on top of the fridge. She then picked up a loaf of bread and put a few pieces in the toaster. The eggs were done soon afterward, and she buttered the toast and divided the eggs amongst her and Craig. She dropped two pieces of toast on Craig's plate and handed him a fork. They went back to the couch and started eating. Ellie glanced over at Craig, who was shivering.

"Are you cold?" she asked curiously. Craig nodded. She set her plate down and got up to turn the heater up. She sat back down and picked her plate back up. She took a bite out of her toast.

"So..." she said.

"So..." Craig replied. He was eating slowly. "This is good. Good..."

"Thanks. I've been cooking for myself for...a while now," Ellie said calmly. Craig was silent. The phone started ringing. Ellie got up to answer it.

"Hello?" she said. "...Yeah, he is...no, he's fine...he just wanted to sleep here, I guess...okay...okay, I'll tell him...bye." She hung up the phone and went back to the couch. "Caitlin's coming to pick you up in like...twenty minutes."

"Okay," said Craig. He finished all of his toast and one egg and started eating the last one. He finished a few minutes later. He set his plate on top of Ellie's. Ellie picked it up and took them to the kitchen. She set them in the sink and washed them, along with the forks and the pan and spatula. She set them down on the counter and strolled back to the couch next to Craig.

"Um...so...have you talked to Ashley?" she asked.

"No. I was home for about...fifteen minutes yesterday, and then I left. I haven't talked to her. And I really don't feel the need to. Ash...she doesn't...love me like she used to. It's over, Ellie."

"Do you want it to be over?" Ellie said sweetly. Craig shook his head.

"No. She meant more to me than...a lot of things. But...I guess I didn't. Not to her."

"I think she still loves you."

"Ellie, that's like saying Joey still cares about me. It's laughable," Craig said emotionlessly.

"Joey cares about you."

"That's not true. He sent me away. He got rid of me. He's dead to me. He doesn't love me. Not like he does with her."

"Who?" Ellie said blankly. Someone knocked on the door, and Ellie figured it was Caitlin.

"I have to go," Craig said quickly. He stood up. Ellie followed him.

"Who, Craig?" she demanded.

"Nobody, Ellie! I have to go!" Craig cried, opening the door and pushing past Caitlin. Ellie stared after him. Caitlin shrugged and went with Craig downstairs. Ellie shut the door. Caitlin found Craig already sitting in her car with his seatbelt on, hugging himself. She got in the car and started it. She drove a few blocks before asking Craig if he'd had a good night at Ellie and Sean's.

"Yeah," said Craig quietly. "Ellie was really nice. I didn't really talk to Sean, but Ellie woke up early and we talked.

"That's good. That's good," Caitlin said. "Did you have breakfast?"

"Yeah. Ellie...she made breakfast. Ellie's cool."

"It sounds like it. I mean, I haven't really talked to her. Once or twice, maybe." Caitlin pulled up to the house and they both got out of the car. Craig went inside with Caitlin right behind him. "God, it's cold in here," Craig muttered. He looked around. Angie was on the floor, playing with the cat. Joey was on the couch, watching TV. Craig went up to his room to go change his clothes. He changed his jeans first, then his shirt. He pulled it off. Caitlin opened the door behind him.

"Hey, um...oh, God, what happened to your back?" she asked.

"Huh?" Craig said. "What're you talking about?" Caitlin took his hand and led him into the bathroom. He turned around and looked in the mirror. There were several large, dark bruises on his back. "Whoa. They're probably from when I was sleeping on the couch last night. It's fine."

"_Fine? _You call that _fine?_ Craig, you didn't eat the entire time when you were in the hospital. You were in there for like, three weeks! You were skinny enough as it was! Now look at you! It's...disgusting!"

"Caitlin! I don't need you telling me that the way I look is disgusting! I already knew that! I did it because...because I was mad at Joey. And I still am! He hates me! He didn't even talk to me, explain why he was putting me in there! He just left! He didn't even come see me on Christmas! If Ellie and Jimmy and Sean didn't show up, I would've felt like crap and drowned myself in the bathtub!"

"We tried calling! Nobody answered the phone! The nurse did, once, but she said that you weren't going to talk to anyone!"

"Why didn't you come back? You could've gotten me out! You could've saved me! It's too late, Caitlin."

"Craig! Joey said that if you came back before the 'treatment' was over, he was going to put you right back in there! I wasn't going to hurt you like that!"

"Too late. You already did." Craig went into his room and slammed his door shut. He put a different shirt on, then a sweatshirt on over it, and curled up on his bed. He got under the blankets and rested his head on the pillow. He heard something crinkly. He lifted his head up and picked up the pillow. And there it sat. A pack of cigarettes. "How'd you get here?" Craig said quietly, picking them up. He rummaged around his nightstand for a few seconds until he found a lighter. He opened the box and pulled a cigarette out. He sighed and lit the end. He inhaled and let the smoke out.

He stood up and went over to the window. Joey had obviously replaced the glass. He opened the window and leaned outside. He had smoked about half of the cigarette when someone was knocking on his door. He dropped it carelessly out the window, letting it fall to the snow.

"What?" Craig called. The door opened and Joey stood in the doorway. Craig got back into the bed.

"It smells in here," was the first thing Joey said.

Craig didn't answer. He lay in bed, facing away from Joey like he always did when he was mad at him. He felt Joey sit down on the edge of the bed. He rested his hand on Craig's arm, which was covered by blankets and his sweatshirt. Craig tried to hold it in, but he started to get cold and burrowed underneath the blankets. Joey stood up and left the room. Craig thought he was gone for good, but he then returned. Craig felt two more blankets being piled onto him. He poked his head out and glanced at Joey, then quickly returned under them.

Joey then left the room. Every few hours, Caitlin would bring Craig something to eat. Other than that, he'd been left undisturbed.

He awoke the next morning and looked out the window. More snow. He rolled his eyes and got out of bed. He went into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He took a hot shower. He turned the water off and got out. He wrapped a towel around himself and retreated back to his room.

He closed the door and quickly got dressed. He put his shoes on, then his sweatshirt and jacket. He went downstairs and sat down at the table. He still didn't look at Joey. He knew that this hurt Joey, and it hurt him, too. But he knew that it would hurt more to spend more than the half-second he had the day before looking at him. He decided to start the conversation. "Angie, what'd you name the cat?" he asked.

"Smoky," Angie answered.

"That's a good name." Angie smiled proudly and stroked the cat that was rubbing its head on the chair below. Craig watched the scene sadly and hugged himself.

"Craig, are you okay?" Joey asked worriedly. Craig shook his head. He stood up from the table quickly.

"I have to go to school," he muttered. He ran to the door and left. He forgot all about Ellie coming over to cover up his eyes, but at this point, he didn't even care. He ran about a block before his side started to ache.

He leaned up against the fence and sighed. A car pulled up in front of him, and he looked up. It was Jay.  
"You need a ride to school?" Jay asked. Craig nodded and got in the car. "What happened to you, anyway? I haven't seen you in like, weeks."

"Nothing. I was just...gone."

"Well, you look like you were stuffed away in a cellar for a month."

"I pretty much was." Jay looked at Craig suspiciously, but kept driving. They stopped at the school and got out of the car. They walked up to the doors and Craig walked quickly to his locker with his hood up and his head lowered.

He opened his locker and got a few things out. He closed it and directly in front of him was Paige. He stared at her expectantly. When she didn't say anything, he turned and started going to class.

"Craig! Wait!" Paige called. She ran after him and got in front of him. "Listen, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Craig asked.

"For...telling people that...where you..."

"Paige, you didn't..." Craig said in disbelief. Paige bowed her head and nodded. "Who told you?"

"Ellie. She told me not to tell people...I mean...first, it was just Hazel...but then the Spirit Squad...Craig, I'm so sorry...everyone knows." Paige looked up and looked up into Craig's eyes.

"I need to...go somewhere," Craig said, pushing past her. He went into the bathroom and leaned over the sink. He ran warm water over his face and looked up at the mirror. He wiped the water off and looked behind him. Standing there was JT, staring at him.

"What?" Craig said irritably.

"Nothing, nothing," JT said innocently. "Finally out of the crackhouse, eh?"

"Shut up, JT!" Craig shouted. JT looked at Craig's now-small body.

"Hm...heroin, too?" he said. He wasn't prepared when Craig's fist came in contact with the side of his face. He fell to the floor, his hand holding where he'd been hit. He wondered why JT had become so brave. JT stood up from the floor. Craig noticed that his lip was bleeding, but he couldn't have cared less. JT pushed Craig, which wasn't very hard, considering he'd lost a lot of weight.

Craig fell into the wall and slid down. He stood back up and threw JT into the sink. He then left the bathroom without another word. He went to class and sat down at his computer. Just as he'd thought, everyone stared at him. He tried to ignore it, but he couldn't. He finally stood up and left the class, not saying anything or asking permission. Mr. Simpson opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out, just a small sigh.

Craig walked out of the building and went home. Home. He couldn't even call it that. Not anymore. It was more of the place he lived. He was cold but he kept walking and when he finally did get home, he found that Joey was still there. He didn't say anything to him, but went directly upstairs. Joey was confused at why Craig was home now. He waited for a few minutes, then went up to his room. He opened the door and found Craig in his bed, fully clothed.

"Hey, Craig..." he said smoothly. Craig didn't say anything. "Why're you home?" Craig coughed audibly and Joey took that as a sign that he was sick. Joey went downstairs for a few minutes and then came back with something—Craig's favorite sandwich. He left it on Craig's nightstand and left the room. Craig turned over and looked at it. He picked it up and ate it slowly. He heard the door open and he dropped it back on the plate and quickly turned back over. Joey walked over to the bed and saw the half-eaten sandwich and smiled. He put something else on the nightstand and left.

Craig came out from under the blankets and looked up. It was a glass of water. He touched it. Warm water. He ate the rest of the sandwich and drank the water. He then burrowed back into the bed and fell asleep.

Over the next few days, Joey left food and water on Craig's nightstand and let him stay home from school. Craig gradually regained weight. He figured that Joey must've been putting something in his water because it tasted weird; it was probably weight gain powder or something. But, he didn't mind. He didn't want to be so skinny. Skinny. He shuddered at that name. He shrugged the matter off and finished eating the soup that Joey had left him a few minutes ago. He didn't even have to leave his bed; everything came to him. Except the bathroom. That he had to do himself.

He'd been laying in bed for a week when he remembered that Sean was having a party the next day. He decided to go, but he was not, under any circumstances, going to drink. He'd hurt himself...again. And he'd probably go to jail. And that...that just wasn't going to happen.

He went into the bathroom and pulled the scale out. He stood on it. "Hmm...62," he muttered. He turned to find Caitlin standing behind him.

"62?" she said. "That's good, Craig. That's good."

"I used to be like...68. I've got a little more to gain."

"Not much, though."

"Yeah. I still weigh less than you," Craig said.

"Excuse me, Mr. Manning?" Caitlin said, smiling softly. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

"Oh, no, Caitlin, never," Craig answered, smirking. They laughed and Craig went back to his room. He crawled back into bed to find someone already in it.

"Angela, this is my bed. What are you doing?" Craig said, lifting the blankets up.

"But, Craig! It's warm!" Angela cried, pulling the blankets back over her head.

"Fine. You can stay. But the thing is, it's my bed, and I'm the sick one, so you have to share," said Craig firmly.

"Okay," Angela mumbled, slowly falling asleep in the bed. Craig fell asleep a few minutes later. He woke up the next day to find Angela gone. He got out of bed and went to go take a shower. He then went downstairs and sat down at the table. Caitlin and Joey stared at him, but Craig didn't look up.

"Sleep well?" Joey asked. Craig shrugged. Caitiln set a plate of food in front of him. He ate it quietly and slowly.

"What're you gonna do today, Craig?" she asked, sitting back down.

"I'm going to finish eating this and drink water and then I'm going to crawl back up in my bed and hope that Angie's not in it again," Craig answered. Caitlin glanced up at Angie, who was smiling. Craig finished his food and 'special' water. He went back upstairs, taking the phone with him. He looked at the clock; Sean wouldn't have left yet.

He dialed his number and let it ring a few times until Sean answered. "Hello?" he said.

"Sean, it's Craig," Craig said.

"Craig! Dude, I haven't seen you in like, a week. I called and Joey said that you were sick."

"Yeah, I have been. But I'm a little bit better now."

"Cool. You coming to the party tonight?"

"Yeah. I'll be there. Um...I'm not gonna be at school today, though. I mean, I'm still kind of...sick."

"Oh. No, it's cool. You know, everyone's talking about what happened...with JT..."

"What? Little JT has to tell the whole school that I, who was ill and defenseless, pushed him into the sink and punched his little baby face? He pushed me! And he asked me if I was on heroin! It's his fault. Oh, yeah. If you could tell him one thing for me today...and tell him it was from me: penis pump." Sean laughed.

"Okay, I'll do that. But...I better get going. School starts in like, a half-hour, so...I'll talk to you later."

"Bye." Craig hung up the phone and took it back downstairs. Joey, Caitlin, and Angie were on the couch, watching TV. "School's starting soon. Why isn't she going?" Craig asked, pointing at Angie.

"What?" Joey said blankly. He looked over at Angie. He sighed. "Caitlin, would you? On your way to work?" Caitlin sat up.

"Oh...it is almost time for her to go, isn't it?" she said. She took Angie and ran out to the car, leaving Craig and Joey alone in the room. Craig could almost feel the tension rising in the room. He took a deep breath and went over to the couch. He sat down at the other end of the couch, away from Joey. Then, unexpectedly, he turned onto his side and rested his head on Joey's lap.

Joey hesitated for a second and then put his hand on Craig's arm. They watched TV in silence.

When the show was over, Joey looked down at Craig, who was asleep. He hadn't noticed, but Craig must've fallen asleep sometime in the middle of the show. Craig hadn't spoken to him since he'd been home from the psych ward, as Caitlin had called it. But, Craig had his reasons, and Joey understood that. Craig was mad at him. As he watched him sleep peacefully on his lap, he could tell that Craig wasn't going to tell him that he wasn't mad at him anymore, that he didn't hate him, that he would talk to him soon, or at least look at him. He didn't expect Craig to talk right now; he was sleeping. But sometime in the near future, possibly. Craig sighed softly in his sleep and Joey continued to watch him. He still couldn't seem to look away when Craig opened his eyes slowly. They looked at each other calmly, and Craig gave him an actual smile, something he hadn't shown in weeks. He still didn't say anything as he drifted back to sleep. Looking at him and smiling was enough for Joey; Craig didn't need to say anything else.

**A/N: HOLY CRAP! THAT WAS THE LONGEST DEUCING THING I'VE EVER WRITTEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! AHH! IT'S LIKE, 19.5 THOUSAND WORDS! AHHH! I'M LISTENING TO THE KILLERS RIGHT NOW. IT'S "SOMEBODY TOLD ME" ON YAHOO RADIO! BUT...YEAH. I'VE PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT INTO THE NEXT CHAPTER AND I'VE DECIDED WHAT IT'S GONNA BE ABOUT! WAAAHA! SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! MY BROTHER WAS ON THE COMP FOR LIKE, DAYS. YEAH. LIKE I SAID, FIFTEEN REVIEWS ON THIS CHAPTER, AND THEY CAN'T BE THE ANNOYING REVIEWS THAT SAY 'UPDATE SOON!' ONLY. THEY HAVE TO BE PROPER REVIEWS, I.E. WHAT YOU LIKE AND WHAT YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT, AND...SUGGESTIONS AND STUFF. YEAH. ANYWAY...BYE!**


	15. Part 11: Drowning in My Mistakes

Part 11: Drowning in My Mistakes

A/N: Just as the title suggests, this chapter has something to do with Craig's reaction to muscle relaxers...so, yeah. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... THIS WILL NOT BE AS LONG! ONLY ABOUT 6,000 WORDS! WAAHAHAHA! But, um...this time, and I'm being serious, if I don't get the 13 reviews in a week the story is OVER! Over, meaning not continuing, leaving you all hanging in the balance. So...yeah. Lalala. Craig and Ash don't get back together in this chapter, but maybe...some other day.

Friday. Not a day that Craig was too happy about. He'd been sleeping calmly on his stepfather's lap for the last few hours while Joey watched TV. He woke up and got some food, then returned to the couch. In a few more hours, he would be at Sean's pool party, celebrating...something. Sean always threw parties for no reason. About ten minutes later, he fell asleep again.

Joey was watching TV. The phone started ringing, and he hoped that it didn't wake up Craig. He gently lifted Craig's head up and rested it on a pillow while he got up to go answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Is Craig there?"

"Yeah, but he's sleeping."

"Oh. Well...could you tell him that Alex called?"

"Yeah, I'll tell him."

"Okay, thanks. Bye."

"Bye." Joey hung up the phone. He wondered who Alex was and why she'd be calling Craig. He got back on the couch and Craig moved his upper body up so that it rested on Joey's lap. Joey laughed softly and continued watching TV. He didn't know it, but Craig woke up five minutes later and quietly watched TV. He sighed peacefully. Craig felt Joey's hand rest on his back and he started lightly rubbing in-between his shoulder blades. Craig liked it when Joey did that; it made him feel loved. He didn't say anything because he didn't want the moment to be over. He kept breathing calmly and closed his eyes.

Craig's arm started itching. He tried to ignore it, but he couldn't. He rubbed his arm along his side and went back to being still. Unfortunately, Joey stopped. Craig scoffed and turned over to look at him. "Why'd you stop?" he asked. That was a really awkward moment.

"I like it when you do that." Joey smiled.

"Turn back over," he said. Craig complied and Joey continued to massage his back. This was the way it was supposed to be.

"Hey, Joey?" Craig said, turning his head. "Did you ever think about what I would be like if I lived with you and Mom instead of my dad?" Joey looked at him for a minute.

"Yeah, Craig. A lot. But...that's a hard question to answer. I mean, if I said that I wished that you lived with us instead of your dad, then that would be like saying I don't like you the way you are now. And if I say that I didn't wish that you lived with us, that would make it sound like I never liked you and you would grow up the way you did."

"Oh," Craig muttered. "Never mind then."

"No, Craig," Joey said quickly. "I mean...I like the way you are, but...if I had the choice to change what happened...I would've let you live with us...but..."

"Don't worry about it, Joey. It was just a question."

"Okay..." Joey said uncertainly. He didn't want Craig to be offended in any way, especially not now. "Who's Alex?"

"Alex?" Craig said, confused. "Girl Alex?"

"Yeah. She called earlier," Joey said.

"Hm...I didn't know she had my number. Interesting. I'll call her later and see what she wanted. She'll probably be at Sean's party."

"Sean's having another party?" Joey asked.

"Yeah," Craig answered. "It's a pool party. His apartment just got a new indoor pool. He's having some random party and a bunch of people are gonna be there. I'm not gonna drink. I promise."

"Okay. I'm trusting you, Craig," said Joey. "And if you drink this time...you're grounded for two months."

"Yes, Joey. I get it. No drinking."

"Thank you." Craig stopped talking and laid still on Joey's lap.

"I'm gonna go call Alex back," he said a few minutes later. He rolled off of the couch and went up to the phone. He checked the caller ID and found her number and then called.  
He waited for a few rings and then someone answered. He asked for Alex and then waited another minute for the phone to be handed to her.

"Hello?" said Alex.

"Alex? It's Craig," said Craig.

"Oh. Um...your dad said you were sleeping earlier."

"Yeah. I was." Craig took the phone and went up to his room, closing the door behind him. "So...was there something you needed?"

"Oh, yeah...um...I was just wondering, I mean, some people have been talking and...are you..._friends_ with Jay?" Alex asked. Craig didn't know what to say. Choice One: Lie. But then she might find out and beat him down. Choice Two: Tell her that he was friends with Jay and she'd come and beat him down now.

"No," he lied. "Why?"

"Well...I was just wondering. I mean, curiosity, you know..." Alex said.

"Oh. Okay."

"So...are you going to Sean's party tonight?"

"Uh, yeah. I am," Craig said quickly.

"Oh, cool," Alex responded.

"Yeah..."

"Um...I gotta go. I guess I'll see you at the party," said Alex. "Bye." Then she hung up. Craig sighed before getting off of the bed and going back downstairs. He put the phone on the base and looked over at Joey, who was oddly asleep on the couch. Craig shrugged and went back up to his room. He looked around for a second before turning back and going back downstairs. He was getting bored and he didn't want to wake Joey, so he grabbed his shoes and jacket and slipped out the door.

He walked around for about a half-hour before he realized that he was walking in a huge circle. He went back up to the house and got back inside. Joey was still sleeping on the couch, but he stirred and then woke up.

"Why were you outside?" Joey asked groggily, looking over at Craig, who was just now closing the door.

"I took the cat outside," Craig answered. "To play in the snow." Joey nodded and stood up.

"So," he said.

"So," Craig repeated. Joey smiled and stretched.

"What time is the party?" he asked.

"Um...seven," Craig said thoughtfully.

"Oh. Okay. When you go, I want you to be home before eleven," Joey said. He walked over to the fridge and started browsing around. Craig nodded.

"Okay. Okay. Before eleven. Home. Before eleven," he muttered. He thought for a minute before saying, "Joey, would you be sad if...I didn't come back from the party?" Joey froze from his position. Slowly, he turned around and looked at Craig.

"Yeah, Craig. I would be. You're my...son, why wouldn't I be?" he asked.

"Well, I mean...like...if I drowned in the pool or I got killed or something...I mean, what if like, we had a fight and you were mad at me? Would you still be sad that I died?"

"Yes, I would. Being mad at you and then you dying...I'd feel worse than I would if I wasn't mad at you."

"Why?"

"Because then...the last thing I said to you...probably wouldn't have been what I would've wanted it."

"Oh. Well...okay. I mean, it was just a question. I'll come back from the party tonight...sober. I promise."

"Okay, Craig," Joey said, returning to the fridge.

"But right now I'm going upstairs to sleep." Joey nodded and Craig retreated up to his room. He took off his shoes, jacket, and jeans and crawled underneath the blankets. He was glad that he no longer needed to wear all of his clothes to keep himself warm.

He fell asleep for about an hour and then woke up again. He lay there, trying to fall asleep again. He rolled around, restless. He wanted to sleep; he was tired. Oddly. He wondered how he could be tired when he slept all the time. He moaned in annoyance of himself. Joey must've been either in his room or the house must've been pretty quiet because Joey came into his room.

"Craig, are you okay?" he asked.

"I can't sleep. I want to sleep. Part of me wants to keep moving. The other part of me really, really wants to sleep," Craig whined.

"Okay..." Joey muttered. "I'll be right back." Joey left the room. He returned with a small white pill and a glass of water. "Craig, I need you to listen, this is important." Craig nodded. "Okay. This is a Valium. It's a muscle relaxer. It'll help you sleep. I don't know what kind of effect this might have on you, so only take it when I give it to you, okay?"

"Yeah. Okay." Craig took the pill and water and swallowed them. He crawled back into bed. "Thanks, Joey."

"You're welcome," Joey said, closing the door. Craig laid in bed for about ten minutes until he fell asleep.

Joey went downstairs and stretched out on the couch. He thought about Craig for a while before falling asleep himself.

Joey woke up when he heard someone coming inside. He looked over the couch and saw Caitlin and Angie coming in the front door. Angela closed the door behind her and dropped her coat on the floor. She ran over to Joey and crawled onto him.

"It's cold outside," she said, hugging him. Joey smiled and put his arm around her.

"Where's Craig?" Caitlin asked, sitting down on the couch.

"He's upstairs. Sleeping," Joey replied, sitting up.

"Oh. I don't see how he can sleep as much as he does," Caitlin said, hugging herself.

"Well, he likes to sleep. Takes the pressure off of life," Joey explained. He set Angela down next to Caitlin. "I'm gonna go check on him." Joey stood up and went upstairs to Craig's room. He quietly opened the door and looked inside. Craig rolled over and looked at him.

"Hey, Joey," he muttered.

"Sorry, Craig, did I wake you up?" Joey asked.

"No," Craig answered. "I woke up about a half-hour ago. I've just been laying here thinking." Joey pushed the door open further and entered the room. It was kind of warm in here. He took a few quick strides toward the bed and sat down.

"About what?" Joey asked curiously.

"About...everything. Like...school, the party, Angie, Caitlin...you. Food. I like food," Craig said, sitting up on the bed.

"You hungry?"

"Uh...yeah, sort of."

"Well...come on downstairs. Caitlin's probably gonna make something for Angie, and she'll make you something too," Joey said. Craig nodded and yawned.

"Okay. I'll be down in a few minutes. I'm probably gonna put some more clothes on..."

"I'll see you then," said Joey, standing up from the bed and leaving the room. Craig yawned again and stood up. He picked up a dry pair of jeans from the ground and put them on. Then he picked his jacket up from the end of the bed and put it on. He then opened the door and slowly walked downstairs.

He sat down at the table next to Angela. He noticed the cat rubbing its head on the chair, so he reached down and scratched his head.

"Good kitty," he muttered. Craig looked around for a second. "What time is it?" he asked.

"It's four," Caitlin answered. She handed Angela and Craig both sandwiches and water and Craig thanked her.

"That means I've been sleeping for...about three hours," Craig said. He began eating the sandwich. He started to get lost in his thoughts, but Joey pulled him back to reality quickly and he jumped.

"You okay?" Joey asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine," Craig said. "I'm just...thinking about stupid things again." He sighed and tried to push the image of his father out of his head, but he couldn't. He looked over at Angela, who turned her head and looked up at him. Her big, brown eyes made Craig smile and his father quickly disappeared from his thoughts.

Craig watched her for another minute and then he finished the sandwich and drank his water. He stood up and went to the couch. He rested his head on the side. Joey was sitting on the other end, looking over at him. Craig glanced at him.

"Joey, can I...talk to you...upstairs?" he asked, sitting up. Joey nodded and followed Craig upstairs to his room. He closed the door behind him and then sat down next to Craig on the bed.

"What's up, Craig?" Joey asked.

"Joey...I'm not sure why, but lately...I've been thinking...about him," Craig whispered. "I can't stop thinking about him."

"When do you think about him the most?"

"When it's quiet. He was always quiet before..." Craig trailed off and looked down at the floor. Joey put his arm around Craig's shoulders. Craig leaned his head and rested it on Joey's shoulder. "As much as I hate to admit it...I actually do miss him. I don't know why. I just do."

"Craig, it's not unusual to miss people, especially your parents. You shouldn't feel bad about it," Joey whispered.

"I know. But...after everything...I mean...it wasn't like he did it just to hurt me...he was..."

"What he did to you wasn't fair. There's no excuse for it. Even if you believe he had a reason, or you think it was your fault...it wasn't."

Craig didn't say anything. He knew Joey was right, but he didn't want to believe it. He sat with his head on Joey's shoulder and sighed. "You're a really good dad, Joey," he said a few minutes later. Joey looked at him and smiled.

"You're a really good kid," he replied. Craig hugged him and then pulled back slowly.

"But Angie's a better kid," he mumbled. Joey looked at him incredulously.

"Angie's a better kid?" Joey said, confused. Craig nodded.

"You'll never treat me the way you treat her. She's _your_ daughter, and I'm _not_ your real son. That's why you don't love me the way you love her," he explained.

"Craig, I love you just as much as I love Angela," said Joey.

"Loving me as much isn't loving me the same _way_ you love Angela," said Craig. He looked away from Joey.

"Tell me how I love Angie and compare it to the way I love you," Joey said. Craig inhaled.

"You love Angie...like she's never done anything wrong. Like she'll never do anything wrong. Ever. Like she's never hurt you." Craig hugged himself. "Because she has never hurt you. And she probably never will. But me...I have hurt you. I have done things that are wrong. And I'm still doing things that are wrong. Every day. Like tonight. I know exactly who is going to be there. People that are a bad influence on me. People that I have problems with. I'm still going. Regardless of what you say, I'm going. Because somehow...I don't care anymore."

Joey thought about Craig's words for a minute before getting up and kneeling in front of him.

"Craig. Listen to me. I love you in a different way than I love Angie because yes, you have hurt me and yes, you've done things that are wrong. You're seventeen, Craig. It's what I would expect from you. Angie...she's not seventeen, and I wouldn't expect those sort of things from her yet. And I'm letting you go to Sean's party because...you deserve a life. You may not be my 'real' son, but you are my son and I wouldn't love you any less than I would Angie because of it. You're a good kid, Craig. I scold Angela more than I do you because you're asleep half the time and there's nothing wrong with that. You have to understand that. I love you differently because I have to treat you differently. I mean unless of course you would like me to go to the store right now and buy you some dolls, then..."

Craig looked up and smiled. "No. You don't have to, Joey. Really," he said.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" asked Joey.

"Not right now. I'll think of something later," Craig said. Joey nodded and stood up.

"Let's go downstairs for a while. You need to relax a little." Craig looked at him and stood. He followed Joey downstairs to the living room and sat down next to Caitlin on the couch.

"Hey, Caitlin," he said simply.

"Hey, Craig," Caitlin replied.

"What're we watching?" Craig asked, looking at the TV. Caitlin shrugged.

"Ask your sister," she said. Craig turned to Angie, who was sitting on the other side of Caitlin, next to Joey.

"Angela," he said. "What are we watching?" Angie looked over at him.

"_Lilo and Stitch_!" she said happily. Craig nodded and looked back at the TV.

"Interesting," he muttered. He watched the movie in silence. The movie was kind of sad for him, but he continued to watch. The only moment that really hurt him was the ugly duckling scene.

"_That's the ugly duckling. See? He's sad, because he's all alone, and nobody wants him_." Craig stood up and excused himself from the room, going back upstairs to his room. He closed the door behind him. He was surprised that nobody followed him. Joey probably figured that he had to make himself clean for Sean's party.

Craig didn't want anyone to bother him, so he decided to go take a really long shower.

As the hot water ran over him, Craig thought about the movie. "..._All_ _alone and nobody wants_ _him_," Craig mumbled. He laughed coldly.

An hour later, he emerged from the shower and felt cold entering the hallway. He went into his room quickly and changed his clothes. He turned around to find Joey standing in the doorway.

"How long have you been standing there?" Craig asked suspiciously.

"About four seconds," Joey answered. "Why'd you leave in the middle of the movie?"

"Well...it's almost 6:30 and I wanted to get ready for Sean's party."

"Craig...I know that the party's not the reason you jumped up in the middle of the movie." Craig turned away from Joey and pretended to be searching for something around his bed. He didn't say anything, which probably made it even less convincing that he had gotten up to shower.

He picked up his watch and put it on his wrist.

"Joey, I'm just a little bit...unsure about another party. But I told everyone I was going, so...I'm going to." Joey sighed.

"If you're not sure about going to the party, then lay down and think about it for a little while." Craig looked at him and nodded. He laid down on the bed and stretched. He relaxed for a few minutes and slowly dozed off.

Joey, who had just come from Craig's room, was in the kitchen talking with Caitlin.

"Is he okay now?" Caitlin asked.

"I think he will be. It must've been that part of the movie," Joey said quietly.

"Which part?"

"The one where he asks the little girl about the story." Caitlin thought about this for a second before realization dawned on her.

"He feels like he has no family," she said. Joey nodded. "It's probably important to him that he has one, but...he feels like he doesn't."

"Craig...he just...he doesn't know what a real family is," Joey whispered. He sat down at the table across from Caitlin. "When Julia was still married to his father, he didn't get to know what a real father was because he beat him all the time. And then Julia divorced him and Craig was left with him. Then he came and lived here, and then his dad died, and...he's lost pretty much everything."

"He's put up with...a lot in the past few years. I mean, really Joey. When was the last time he got to have fun?" Caitlin said.

"I can't even remember," said Joey.

"Exactly. I think you and me and Angela should go away for a week and let Craig have the house to himself," Caitlin suggested. Joey stared at her.

"Last time he took one of the cars from the lot," he said.

"But...chances are, he won't do it again. Come on, Joey." Caitlin looked at Joey pleadingly.

"Fine," he said, sighing. Caitlin smiled.

"See? That wasn't so hard," she said. Suddenly, a gagging sound came from upstairs. Joey glanced over to the couch, where Angela was sitting and watching TV peacefully. He realized who must be making the noise and he jumped up and ran upstairs. He burst into Craig's room to find Craig lying on his bed, asleep but choking and not being able to breathe. On what, he didn't know, but he was about to find out. He ran over to the bed and knelt down next to Craig. He began to shake his shoulders. A minute later, he woke up. He gasped for air and sat up. Joey pushed him back down and Craig put his hands on his stomach. He turned to see Joey's worried self next to him.

Craig wiped his eyes, which had been watering. His throat hurt, as did his chest.

"Are you okay?" Joey asked. Craig nodded.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine...I was...I don't even know...but I'm okay now. I promise. I'm just...I have sleeping problems. That's all. Sleeping problems." He looked away from Joey.

"Um...I'd better get going to Sean's party. He wants me there." He stood up and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and locking it. He opened the medicine cabinet and found it—the bottle of Valiums. He opened it and took two out, tightly screwing the cap back on. He dropped it carelessly back in the cabinet and looked at the two pills carefully. He was startled when someone knocked on the door. It was Caitlin.

"Craig? Joey's leaving in a minute," she said.

"Okay!" Craig called. "I'm just...taking the meds and stuff." He quickly swallowed the two pills and opened the door. He put his shoes and jacket on and ran downstairs to get to the car. Craig didn't talk while Joey drove to Sean's. Joey knew that Craig didn't want to talk about anything, so he too kept quiet. He glanced over at Craig, who stared off into the darkness. He turned his focus back to the road, constantly thinking about Craig. They finally got to Sean's.

Twenty minutes later, Craig was talking to Alex next to the pool. He never talked to Alex the way he was now; they were so...different. He'd seen Ashley on his way in, but he ignored her to go find Alex. He couldn't decide how he felt about Ashley anymore, but his heart burned every time he looked at her. He tried to keep telling himself he was over her, but somehow, he wasn't.

He shrugged off the thought and continued listening to Alex. Behind Alex, he could see Emma and Manny in the pool, splashing and playing around with a few boys from school. He looked back up at Alex. He nodded to what she had said and then he asked her about Jay.

"Me and Jay have been over for...a long time. I haven't talked to him in months. He calls, but I don't answer. He comes over, but I stay in my room. He leaves notes on my locker but I throw them away. He's trying. He just needs to...give it more time, I guess. What's up with you and Kerwin?"

"Ashley...she dumped me like a month ago. I haven't talked to her since. She acts like everything between us can be better now that we aren't together, and...it can't."

"Oh, that's sad. You guys were happy together," Alex said quietly.

"I was happy with her. Apparently...she wasn't happy with me."

"I don't see why. If I was going out with you, I wouldn't want to break up. You know, almost everyone in the school likes you?"

"Everyone?" Craig said skeptically.

"Well...except Paige and JT and...a few other people that don't know you. But yeah, almost everyone." Craig laughed.

"Don't see why."

"You're one of the nicest guys in the school. Um...you're one of the best-looking guys in school, and...you're just the likeable type." Alex blushed and looked at her feet. She never flirted with guys, especially guys she'd almost never talked to.

"I don't even know why Paige doesn't like me; she just doesn't," Craig said.

"I think she's jealous because everyone likes you more than her," Alex answered, looking up and laughing.

"Probably," said Craig agreeingly. "Well, good, I hate her too." Alex laughed again and then there was a weird silence between them. They looked at each other. Alex saw an odd look on Craig's face.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Just as she spoke, Craig suddenly dropped and fell into the pool. She started laughing hysterically, as did everyone else. She expected him to come right back up. He didn't. Manny and Emma stopped laughing and looked over in Craig's direction. He'd been down there for about a minute now. Something didn't seem right. There was no way he'd be able to hold his breath this long if he'd fell in that fast. Several girls started to panic, as did several boys.

"Why isn't he moving?" Manny cried. "He's not moving!" Alex stared down into the pool at Craig's motionless body. She started screaming for someone to help him. She wasn't strong enough to get Craig out by herself and she wasn't going to fail in front of everyone trying.

"SEAN!" she shouted. Sean wasn't there to hear her, though. He was busy with Ellie in the apartment. "Somebody, help him!"

The girls were all crying now, afraid that he was dead. Several seconds later, someone jumped into the pool and pulled Craig's body out. Alex stared over at the person climbing out of the pool. It was Jay. He set Craig down on the side of the pool on his back. He started pressing on his chest.

"Come on, Manning...don't die on me now," he muttered. Alex watched as Jay tried to save Craig. Manny stared over at the scene and jumped out of the pool. She ran to a chair and grabbed her towel, wrapping it around herself. She wiped her makeup off and continued to watch. Emma came over and wrapped her arm around Manny's shoulder.

"JAY! HURRY UP!" Alex cried. Jay looked over at her and then back at Craig. That was the first time she'd talked to him in...a long time. He pressed harder on Craig's chest. A few seconds later, Craig's head rolled to the side and he coughed up water.

"He lives!" Jay shouted triumphantly. Craig was still. Everyone that had been watching was still panicking. Craig lay lifeless on the cement and everyone stared at him. The room became quiet as they watched him. Craig started to cough up more water again and Jay let out a long breath that he didn't realize he had been holding. Craig stopped moving again. Jay scoffed in annoyance and he knelt down next to him.

He shook him softly and then started smacking him.

"Wake up, Craig. Come on. This is not a good place to die. Get up," he said. Craig moaned and barely opened his eyes.

"Dude, are you okay? You almost drowned," said Jay. Craig opened his mouth to say something but coughed and more water came out. "What are you, a camel or something? How much water can you hold?"

"Jay..." Craig droned. Jay looked at Craig expectantly. Craig closed his eyes again.

"Don't die!" Jay cried.

"I'm not dying," Craig mumbled. "My head hurts."

"Oh."

Craig could barely talk and he could barely feel anything. He was starting to get the feeling in his legs back, but his arms were pretty much useless. Alex walked over to Craig and put her hand on his forehead.

"I wanna go home..." Craig moaned.

"Craig, I'm gonna call your dad and have him take you home, okay?" Alex said calmly. Craig had never heard Alex talk like that. Her voice was usually low and quiet, but it was suddenly soft. Alex was about to reach for her cell phone when she felt something cold underneath her hand. It was Jay's hand. They looked at each other for a split second and then she instantly pulled away and grabbed her cell phone.

She dialed a number and Craig listened to her as she explained the situation to Joey. She then hung up and turned back to him. "He's on his way," she said in the same odd, soft voice. She looked over at Manny.

"Hey, Manny! Mind giving up that towel that you got over there?" she called. Manny stood up and walked over to Alex and handed her the towel.

"Um...Jay, we have to get him up," Alex said nervously. She hated talking to Jay. It used to be, but not anymore. Jay nodded and lifted up Craig's back. Alex helped him and wrapped the towel around Craig's shoulders. Craig could somewhat support himself, but not entirely. That was what Jay and Alex were for. Manny watched as Alex and Jay led Craig to the front of the apartment building.

"Hold him up, Alex," Jay said. Alex glared at Jay. She did her best to hold Craig's body up while Jay removed his jacket, which he'd taken off prior to jumping into the pool and put it on Craig. It fit perfectly. Craig was still cold and wet when Joey showed up. Joey thanked Jay and Alex and got Craig into the car. Alex and Jay went back inside.

Joey drove down the road and glanced over at Craig from time to time. He finally got them both home and he took Craig upstairs. Craig got dressed in dry clothes and then he looked at Joey.

"So...what exactly happened?" Joey asked.

"I'm not sure," Craig said. He coughed and spit up more water. "One minute I was talking to Alex and the next, I'm in the pool, not able to move. I don't know why. I tried to, but I couldn't. I was looking up and I could see the top of the water. But I was at the bottom. I started breathing in water and then...everything went dark. I woke up and I was out of the pool. Jay was trying to get me to stay awake. He saved me. I don't know why no one else did. He did, though."

"So you're not sure why you couldn't move?" Joey said. Craig shook his head.

"But...Joey...please don't be mad at me...whatever I say, don't be mad at me..." Craig said. He looked at Joey.

"Okay. I won't be mad at you," Joey said assuringly. Craig hesitated.

"I took two Valiums before I left," he whispered.

"You WHAT?" Joey shouted incredulously. Craig crawled into his bed and buried himself under the blankets. Joey's expression softened. "Craig..." he said. "It's okay. It's okay." Joey pulled the blankets down and Craig looked at him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was too energetic and...I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Craig, the Valiums aren't the problem. I'm not even sure if they're dangerous. You just had a weird reaction to them. It's nothing that you should be so apologetic about. Okay? Now...calm down and go to sleep." The phone started ringing. "I'll be right back." Joey got up and went to answer the phone. Craig silently wondered where Caitlin was. Joey came back in the room and handed Craig the phone.

"Hello?" Craig said groggily.

"Craig? It's...us. Manny, Emma, Alex, and a few other people. Are you okay?" Manny asked.

"I'm okay now. I cough up water every so often, but I'll be at school on Monday."

"Oh, that's great," Manny said, sighing. "We were so worried about you. I couldn't talk for like, ten minutes. I was so scared that you were..."

"No, I'm fine. Really." Craig sighed. "Where are you guys anyway?"

"We're up in Sean's apartment. You're on speakerphone, by the way," Manny said.

"I figured as much," Craig replied.

"Oh, crap, it's Ashley," said Emma.

"Craig, we'll call you back," Alex said quickly. They hung up the phone. Craig was glad that they hung up because he was in no mood to talk to Ashley.

He handed the phone back to Joey and closed his eyes. He felt peaceful until he started coughing up water again. He leaned over and searched his nightstand. He found his cell phone, safe and dry.

"Thank God I didn't take that with me," he said. Craig slowly fell asleep. That is, until Caitlin and Angie got back from wherever they were. He heard Angie go into her room and Joey and Caitlin talked in their room, but Craig could hear them perfectly.

"He told me he was taking his meds," Caitlin said.

"Well, he told me he took Valiums. He must have some allergy or something," said Joey.

"He could. So...what else did he say?"

"He said that Jay's the one that pulled him out of the pool."

"Really? That's interesting..." Caitlin muttered.

"I'm so worried about him," Joey said quietly. "He's almost always sick or injured or depressed or...something. I want him to get better. He's always talking bad about himself. I don't see why. He's a great kid, and I love him to death. But he's so...numb. To everything."

"It's not his fault, Joey. I mean, the poor kid's been traumatized, hurt, and had his heart broken on countless occasions, and it's not fair to him. It's been one bad thing after the next for him. It's been like that for a long time now. But that's why we're here, and Angela's here, and his friends...and we're all gonna help him get through things."

"Yeah. We are. I'm gonna go check on him and make sure he's still alive," Joey said. Craig closed his eyes and acted like he was asleep. Surprisingly, he actually fell asleep in the short time that Joey left his room and when he got to Craig's. Joey watched Craig sleep.

Now, if anyone had ever watched Craig sleep, they would know that it is one of the most peaceful activities there is. Craig looked happy when he slept. Well, usually. He was peaceful, calm, and relaxed. Joey knew that sleeping was Craig's refuge away from everything. Craig rolled onto his back and Joey watched as Craig's chest evenly rose and fell. He couldn't stop thinking about how if Jay hadn't jumped into the pool when he did, Joey might be at the morgue right now, identifying the body of his son. His throat started to burn as he watched Craig sleep. He couldn't handle watching this anymore, so he stood up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

A/N: WOO! It took me FOREVER to write that! Trinity and everyone else, thanks for ALL of your reviews. If anyone has MySpace, check out my profile for my details. Lalala. I'm going to write more in the next chapter, and like...yeah. So...mmmmmmmmmmmmkay.


	16. Part 12: Love Makes the World Go Round

Part 12: Love Makes the World Go Round

**A/N: What's up, people! I know it took forever for me to update...I am coming down with a serious case of writer's block. Any suggestions WOULD be helpful. I'm also running out of ideas for chapter titles and stuff, so...yeah. If any of y'all listen to Ashlee Simpson, she wrote this song called "Love Makes The World Go Round", and it's really kind of sad. It's like "I just wanna talk to you, my broken heart just has no use, and I guess promises are better left unsaid." Yeah. So that's why I got the title! I got this kick-ass electric guitar today for fifty bucks. I have to get all the parts for it, though (strings, bridge, strap, cable, amp, etc.) but it's worth it! I know it's a bit longer than the last one, but hey, at least it's not as long as Part 10! holy crap, that was long! Anyway...A few notes to my LOYAL reviewers...**

**Trinity - **SO...I see. It seems to me as if you're the first one to review each chapter...EXCEPT FOURTEEN! BAD TRINITY! LOL. Just kidding. Yep. The last chapter was pretty short, I know. My fingers kind of hurt because I've been practicing guitar a lot lately, so that kind of stops me from writing. But...yeah.

**HelloGoodbye123 - **Ah, you know what's weird? In your review, you were saying that there's the few obsessive readers, i.e, you, Crashetburn, and Trinity, and they were all the ones that reviewed first! Amazing...thanks for all the reviews since like...every chapter. And I waited so long to update because I actually posted the chapter RIGHT after I finished it---it took me forever! I was kind of contemplating who should jump in the pool—Sean or Jay? Or Spinner? Or Alex? I was just...frustrated. So, I chose Jay because Spinner NOT jumping in the pool plays a part in this chapter. Waahaha!

**Crashetburn – **Hm...I see what you're saying about the whole Cranny thing. Somehow, I just...I don't know. I kind of wonder why you still read this...I mean, it is Crash...I don't know, I'm reading a Cranny story, so...I dunno...Lalala. And yeah...

ENJOY LE CHAPTER!

Craig awoke early on Monday morning. He didn't necessarily feel like going to school today. But, oh well. He was going to go anyway. He turned over and rolled off of the bed, hitting the floor with a loud thud. He pushed himself up with his arms and stood up. He swayed for a minute before opening the door and going into the bathroom. He leaned up against the sink pulled out his toothbrush. He brushed his teeth quietly. Then, he took a shower.

The shower was one of the best things he'd felt all weekend. (great, now I want to go brush my teeth). He'd stayed up late last night talking to Caitlin. After the Valium incident on Friday night, he was never going to take another one of them. Joey made sure of that by hiding them somewhere Craig wasn't too hot on taking one, anyway. The last thing he needed was to lose muscle control when he was doing something important...or dangerous.

He finished his shower and got out. He towel-dried himself and wrapped the towel around his waist before walking to his room. He closed the door and got dressed. Then, he tossed the towel in the closet and retreated downstairs. He sat down at the table with everyone else and closed his eyes.

"How'd you sleep?" Caitlin asked, sipping her coffee. Craig shrugged.

"Okay, I guess," he murmured, not opening his eyes. "You?"

"Pretty good, actually," said Caitlin.

"Hm...I see," said Craig. "That's good." Craig yawned. "Angie..." he muttered groggily. "Angie!"

"What?" Angie said quickly.

"Would you be so kind as to get me some juice?" Craig asked. Angie cleared her throat. "I'll give you five bucks," he added.

"Okay," Angie said, carefully pouring Craig some juice. Craig opened his eyes a little and took the juice. He pulled some money out of his pocket and handed it to Angie. She cackled maniacally and pocketed the money. Craig drank his juice slowly. Joey looked up from the newspaper.

"You look tired," he said.

"I _am_ tired," Craig responded. He took another drink of juice, finishing it. Joey nodded. "Joey...will you give me a ride to school? I'm too tired to walk."

"Yeah, sure," Joey answered. He finished his coffee. "I think we should all be going our own ways right about now. Come on, Craig." They stood up and Craig followed Joey to the car. He got in and closed his eyes again. He yawned, making his eyes water. Joey drove in silence to the school. He got to the front of the building and looked over at Craig, who was asleep against the window.

"Craig!" he said. Craig jumped and looked around. He moaned and got out of the car without a word. He went up into the school and trudged to his locker. He fumbled with it for a minute before finally getting it open. He took a pen out and put it in his pocket before closing his locker. To his surprise, Liberty was standing in front of him.

"What?" he said blankly, staring at her.  
"If you ever touch JT again, I swear, I'll—" Liberty began.

"You'll what? Keep looking at me? Ah, my eyes, they burn," Craig said. He turned around and started walking away. That is, until he was tackled to the floor by JT. He was getting extremely annoyed. He stood up, JT still clinging onto him. He threw JT into a locker, then to the floor. He kicked him once in the shoulder before turning. Another great surprise—Mr. Simpson. He sighed; he was afraid of what was going to happen next.

Mr. Simpson made Craig and JT have a 'conference' with Ms. Hatzilakos. Of course, Mr. Simpson being included helped Craig a little bit; he wouldn't have talked if it had been his word against JT's, even though Ms. Hatzilakos knew that JT did stupid things.

"So, what's going on?" Ms. Hatzilakos asked. She looked at JT, to Mr. Simpson, to Craig. Mr. Simpson spoke first.

"JT attacked Craig in the hallway," he said informatively. Ms. Hatzilakos glared at JT.

"Why would you do something like that?" she said sharply.

"Craig insulted my girlfriend," JT said defensively. She looked at Craig.

"She was harassing me at my locker _and_ she was about to threaten me," Craig replied. Ms. Hatzilakos sighed.

"Archie, could you please get Liberty in here?" she said. Mr. Simpson nodded and left for a minute, returning with Liberty. She took a seat next to JT.

"Liberty, why did you approach Craig at his locker?" Ms. Hatzilakos asked, resting her head on her hand. Liberty inhaled.

"Craig hurt JT. I was just asking him why he did it," she said simply. Craig scoffed.

"Do you have something to say, Craig?" the principal asked, looking at Craig.

"Yeah, I do. That's a load of crap! She wasn't asking me anything! She was telling me that if I 'ever touch JT again, I swear I'll...'" Craig said. He mocked Liberty in a high-pitched voice. Liberty glared at him.

"I never said that!" Liberty cried.

"Liberty," Ms. Hatzilakos warned. Liberty slouched down in her chair. "Mr. Simpson, what part of this scene did you witness?"

"All I saw was JT jump on Craig, and then Craig threw him into a locker. And...I trust him. He's not lying. You can look at him and tell that he's telling the truth," Mr. Simpson answered. Craig looked up at Mr. Simpson. The feeling of someone trusting him...it was...odd, but in a good way. He gave him a small smile and then looked over at Ms. Hatzilakos. She was looking back at him.

"Okay, but what about Craig 'touching' JT? What's that all about?" she demanded. Craig slouched down in his chair because he had been the one to hit JT first. Now he was in trouble. JT looked at him, smirked, and started talking.

"Craig and I were in the washroom, and I was asking him why he hadn't been at school, and he hit me," he said. Ms. Hatzilakos looked at Craig again, but he couldn't look back at her or talk because he knew anything he said would be held against him.

"Is that true, Craig?" Craig didn't answer. He hugged himself and sighed. After a minute of silence, he spoke.

"That's _not_ what happened," he said slowly. "I was in the hospital for all of winter break, and then a few days afterward. A few of my friends knew, and one of them told someone else, and now the whole school knows, including JT. When we were in the washroom, JT asked me if I was on heroin, so...yeah, I hit him. But he wasn't asking me where I was. He accused me of being a drug addict." Ms. Hatzilakos thought for a moment.

"Okay, JT, Craig, and Liberty...please go wait outside the office while I talk to Mr. Simpson," she said. They obliged and sat outside of the office. The one word that Craig heard clearly was 'mental'. Great, now the principal knows.

Craig sat two chairs away from Liberty and JT, who kept looking over at him and whispering. He was getting irritated. Mr. Simpson opened the door and told Craig to come in. He was happy to.

He entered the room and sat down in the same chair he had occupied just minutes before. He leaned over and buried his head in his hands.

"Craig, Mr. Simpson and I have discussed your punishment, and he has helped me decide that a phone call to your parent or guardian would be appropriate," Ms. Hatzilakos said. Craig looked up at her, then to Mr. Simpson. "Because it seems to me as if you're the victim in both situations. JT had no right to accuse you of using heroin, or to attack you, and Liberty had no right to harass and threaten you."

"So...you're just gonna call Joey? I mean, I'm not suspended...or have detention or something?" Craig asked. Ms. Hatzilakos smiled.

"Nope. Just gonna call Joey," she said. "And you're free to go." Craig sighed in relief and thanked them both.

He went to Mr. Simpson's classroom and sat down at an empty computer, as someone had taken his. Spinner came over to his computer and asked him if he was in trouble.

"No," Craig answered simply. "JT and Liberty are, though." Spinner laughed.

"So...you're totally over Ash, right?" he asked. Craig looked up at him incredulously. He paused for a minute before saying, "Yeah. Totally. Over her."

"Good," said Spinner. "Because me and Ash hooked up at Sean's party on Friday night." Craig stared at him, as did several people around him.

"What?" he said.

"Me and Ash. We hooked up at the party. We're together now," Spinner said clearly.

"Oh, that's...great, Spinner. Now I can't even have friends. Oh, well. Jay'll have to do," Craig said. He sighed and looked at his computer screen. Spinner walked away. Craig got an email a minute later. He opened it. It was a picture of Spinner and Ashley...together. He was disgusted. He deleted it and was silent until Mr. Simpson returned from the principal's office.

Mr. Simpson gave the assignment and Craig was almost halfway through with it when his cell phone started ringing. He looked at it. Joey.

"Hello?" he said upon pressing the 'Answer' button. "Yeah...why can't Caitlin pick her up?...What?...Again? Can't you two be happy together without fighting for at least a week? You're so irritating!" Craig shouted before hanging up and shoving the phone back in his pocket. He looked up at Mr. Simpson, who had ignored him.

"What's going on?" Ellie, who was sitting next to him, asked.

"Joey and Caitlin had another fight. He doesn't know where she is, but this time she doesn't have some jerk-off director to go to," Craig said. He didn't want Caitlin to leave. Joey probably didn't want her to leave, either. Caitlin would come back...where else would she go?

"That sucks," said Ellie.

"Yeah, just about as much as Spinner being with Ash. That's just..."

"Wrong." Craig nodded. He missed Ashley, but he wasn't about to let everyone know.

"I mean, while they were hooking up at the party, I was drowning in the pool and had to be saved by Jay."

"Sean would've been glad to save you. But I guess that's kind of my fault because I made him talk to me."

"Yeah, but...oh, well. That was days ago. I'm better now," Craig said.

"That's the important part," Ellie responded. She finished her work and closed all of the windows on her computer. Craig did the same a few minutes later. He sat, staring at his computer for a while. He jumped when he felt Ellie's hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" she asked. Craig looked at her for a second.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine," he muttered. He knew that Ellie knew that he wasn't 'fine'. He was never 'fine'.

"Craig, you're not over her, are you?" said Ellie. Craig stared at her. Her hard gaze made it hard for him to deny it. He shook his head and looked down at the keyboard. "Do you want me to talk to her?" Craig shrugged. Ellie felt bad for Craig; one minute, he had everything going great, and the next, it was over.

"Ash, you're not being fair to either of them," Ellie told Ashley after school. "You're leading Spinner on to make Craig jealous. It's not fair."

"I'm not...leading him on. I like Spinner," Ashley said quietly.

"You 'like' him. That's not enough. You're graduating in a few months; you don't date someone because you 'like' them. I like Craig, and I'm not going out with him."

"That's because you're with Sean."  
"And I could get mad at Sean and just suddenly say that I'm not in love with him anymore and go out with Craig and make him jealous. But it's stupid, and it's careless, and it's wrong. You just don't get it."

"I don't get it? Craig cheated on me, Ellie! Probably more times than I know about! Sean...he went to be with his parents! And you didn't want him to stay there! You wanted him all for your greedy self!" Ashley shouted.

"Craig deserves better! He deserves better than you or the way he lives, the way he is! The way he grew up! You grew up with a perfect, loving, safe family! I wish I could say the same for him! And he only cheated on you once! He could have any girl in this school, and out of all of them, he wants you! But, oh, no! You make up some stupid lie to make him feel worse than he already does! You think his life is so simple! That just because he's away from his dad, he's better! That just because he has medications, he's okay! He's not better, and he's not okay! He still has to live with the fact that he was hurt in more ways than you EVER were, and probably ever will be! He's the one with the illness, not you! STOP acting like he hurt you so much! You forgave him and he expected you to get over it! You're SO selfish!" Ellie screamed. Ashley glared at her.

"If Craig's only cheated on me once, then why is he always so friendly with everyone else?" she asked. Her voice was sickly quiet.

"Because that's who he is! He's social! People want to be friends with him! He likes to talk to people! And maybe if you were a little nicer to him, he'd want to talk to you, too!" The two stared at each other. Ellie scoffed and turned. She walked away, leaving Ashley there without a thing to say. Ellie was thoroughly disgusted with Ashley for what she was doing to Craig. She wanted to tell Craig what Ashley was doing, but she didn't have the heart to tell him herself. So, she went home and wrote a letter. Sean asked what she was doing.

"I'm writing Craig a note so that he knows what Ash is doing," Ellie explained.

"What's Ash doing?" Sean said curiously.

"At the party, she hooked up with Spinner to make Craig jealous. Now, she's leading Spinner on to keep making Craig jealous. For what reason, I'll never know. And Craig has the right to know. Ashley just doesn't get that she can't treat Craig the way she thinks she can. I don't treat Craig like crap all the time. Or...ever. We're friends. I mean..."

"No, I get it, Ellie," Sean said. "Just keep writing your little letter. I'm sick of this girl talk." Ellie smiled and continued to write. She finished and then folded it neatly before putting it in her pocket.

Then, she left.

When she got to Craig's, Joey answered the door.

"He's sleeping right now," he said.

"Oh. Um...could you give this to him?" Ellie asked, handing Joey the note.

"Yeah, sure," said Joey.

"Okay, thanks. Bye," Ellie said sweetly before turning and walking away. Craig must like to sleep; he did it a lot. There wasn't much else for him to do; none of his friends really went anywhere at this time of year.

When she got back home, she put her coat on the couch and sat down. Sean sat down next to her.

"Paige called," he said. Ellie moaned and stood up to go to the phone. She picked it up and dialed Paige's number.

"Hello?" said Paige.

"Hey...you called?" Ellie said.

"Yeah, um...I saw you and Ashley yelling at each other after school. What was that all about?" Paige asked.

"Well...see, Craig and Ash broke up because Ashley told Craig that she didn't love him anymore. At the party, she hooked up with Spinner. So now she's leading Spinner and Craig on so that Craig will be jealous of Spinner."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because she doesn't think," said Ellie. She slid down the wall and sighed. "I tried to talk to her, but she just acted like what she was doing was right."

"I'll talk to her. If anything, more than one person should set her straight." Ellie laughed softly.

"Okay, thanks, Paige."

"No, thank you," Paige replied. She giggled as she hung up. Ellie put the phone back on the base and looked at Sean.

"Paige is gonna try beating some sense into her," she told him. She reclaimed her position next to Sean and she leaned her head on his shoulder. They watched TV happily.

Fortunately, Caitlin had just been talking to Spike for a few hours and returned to Joey's that same day. Craig was thankful; he liked Caitlin being around. Unfortunately, however, the call from the school arrived just an hour after Craig got home. Joey waited for Craig to wake up, and then he led him to the garage, where they talked about the day's events.

"Craig..." Joey began.

"Joey, don't," Craig said quickly. "What happened today...it was my fault. I shouldn't have hit JT."

"The school told me that JT was...antagonizing you." Craig looked up at him.

"If...if I was taking the meds, I wouldn't have done it. I wouldn't have hit him, and I...I wouldn't have told Liberty that I find her very, very...very unattractive. There's a lot of things I wouldn't have done if I'd been taking them...like hurting you." Joey sighed.

"Craig, that was a long time ago. And we didn't even know about it then," he said coolly.

"That doesn't make it better," Craig said, looking at the floor.

"No, it doesn't. But it makes an excuse."

"Listen, Joey, I'm on the verge of getting expelled or arrested. Excuses aren't going to help me."

"No. But I can. I'm not calling the cops on you anytime soon. And neither is anyone else. They understand, Craig. Nobody blames you for what happened. Ever."

"Really? What about...what about my dad? For years, it felt like nothing was wrong. But he was still doing it. I didn't tell anyone because I felt like I deserved it. And what about the shooting? We shot each other, but I lived. It's not fair, Joey. It's like, everyone thinks that I should hate him for everything he's done to me. But...I don't." Craig looked up at Joey. "I loved him." Joey nodded in understanding.

"He was your dad. I mean...of course you loved him. You always have different feelings about a person after they die. It's normal."

"It's like, with Mom. I mean, it was her and Angie that kept me sane all those years. I mean, you were okay, but...you know, we didn't like...anyway, I loved Mom and Angie more than anything. I would give anything to protect them, and I would kill someone if they ever hurt

Angie. But...now that Mom's gone...I could almost say that I hate her. I don't really hate her, but I'm mad at her for leaving me, and you, and...Angie. Alone. You had Angie and she had you, but me...no, I get left with my dad. And I used to hate my dad...but now that he's gone, I realize that I really did love him. But everyone wants me to hate him."

"I don't care how you feel about him, and I'm not judging you by the way you feel. It's your emotions; nobody can tell you how you feel."

"I don't even know why I talk to people anymore," Craig whispered.

"You seem to like talking to me," Joey said. Craig looked back up at him.

"That's because when I talk to you I always feel better." Joey smiled softly. Craig leaned over and rested his head on Joey's shoulder. He'd had a lot of hard times, and...through most of them...Joey had been there. And Craig had never given him enough credit for it.

"Thanks, Joey," he muttered.

"For what?" Joey asked.

"For being there for me." Joey wrapped his arm around Craig's shoulder. They sat in silence for a while.

The next day at school, Paige had gotten the chance to talk to Ashley while she was away from Spinner.

"Look at him," Paige commanded. Ashley looked at him.

"I'm looking at him, Paige," she said.

"Okay. Now tell me what he's doing." Ashley sighed.

"He's sitting there. Alone."

"Exactly. Why is that, Ashley? Surely you know," Paige said. She looked at Ashley.

"It's because...he doesn't want to talk to me or Spinner, so he just avoids everyone," Ashley responded. "It's the way he is."

"So you know _how_ he is, do you? Did you _ever_ consider how _he_ felt about anything? Ever? No. You didn't. It's _always_ about you."

"You're just like Ellie," Ashley whispered. "Always telling me that I'm wrong."

"I'm not telling you that you're wrong. I'm telling you that you're selfish and what you're doing is pointless. Why make Craig jealous? What did he do to you lately?" Paige asked.

"He..."

"He just wants someone to love him!" Paige cried. "And he almost had that! And then you just take it away from him for your selfish little reasons!"

"Have you seen the way he looks at Manny?" Ashley said. Paige threw her head back and laughed.

"The way he looks at Manny...you do have your head in the clouds, don't you? Craig treats people the way they should be treated! Manny cares more about him than you do! That's probably why he's nice to her!"

"He got her pregnant," Ashley said quietly.

"Yeah. But think about it—would you rather have Craig cheat on you and get Manny pregnant...or have him be with you that night and get you pregnant? You would have to live with the fact that you killed your child, and he would never talk to you again. You're lucky he did that. You are. You would've been in Manny's position, and your mom would've never let you keep it. You know she wouldn't have."

"I know," Ashley muttered. "But...he...hasn't done anything wrong in...a long time."

"So...what're you gonna do?"

"Nothing. I can't do anything now. It's too late, Paige. It's over," Ashley said. She turned and walked away. Seemingly, nothing was going to get them back together.

When Joey and Caitlin went away for a week, Craig felt...awkward. Angie was also away at her grandmother's house. And, of course, Craig was left home alone, a responsibility that he hadn't been granted since he was fourteen.

He had been going to school and such, but he still didn't leave the house any other time of the day. He just lounged around all day after school. After doing his homework, of course. He had to get caught up in all of his classes before he could graduate.

The phone rang. He rolled off of the couch where he'd contently watching TV and walked over to the phone.

"Hello?" he mumbled.

"Craig?" said Ashley. Ashley heard a sharp inhale from Craig and she breathed slowly. Craig hadn't heard from her in...almost two months. "Um...I need to tell you something. Is it okay if I come over there?"

"Yeah. Whatever," Craig said quickly before hanging up the phone. He was surprised that Ashley had called. It was so sudden.

She arrived about twenty minutes later; chances were that she had to sneak out or lie.

He answered the door and hesitantly let her in. They sat on the couch and she talked for about an hour about how she felt about Spinner and Manny, and he, Craig...everything he didn't care about.

"Is there a point to any of this?" Craig asked coldly.

"I was just getting to it," Ashley answered. "Anyway, I'm not sure why I wanted to make you jealous, but..."

"But nothing. You make more mistakes than I do," Craig said. He stood up and went to go get some water.

"I make more mistakes than you do? And Manny? I never cheated on you. I didn't get drunk. Twice. I'm not friends with Jay or Alex, and I haven't been suspended. Oh, and what about your medications? It's not like you take them like you should."

"Do NOT bring the meds into this! That's not even fair!" Craig shouted. He hated it when anyone used his medications against him in an argument.

"That's not fair? You telling me that I make more mistakes than you isn't FAIR! The way you treat me isn't FAIR!" Ashley screamed. She pushed Craig against the table. He didn't even bother to push her back.

"You are such a waste of my time! I was perfectly fine before you got here! Why did you even have to come? Why? Why did you have to call? See? There's ANOTHER one of your million mistakes!"

"You're a mistake!" Ashley yelled. Craig glared at her.

"You want me to take the meds, then?" he asked quietly. Ashley straightened up and picked an orange bottle up from the table. She wasn't sure why it was there, but she pushed it into his hand.

"Good! Then I will!" Craig opened the bottle and dumped the four remaining capsules into his hand. He stared at her for a second before putting them in his mouth and swallowing them.

"That's perfect, Craig! Kill yourself! See if I care!" Ashley cried before pushing him and running out of the house. She slammed the door behind her, leaving Craig alone again. He scoffed and returned back to the TV.

About a half-hour later, he started to feel sick. Craig ran into the bathroom and vomited twice. He held his stomach and then went back to the couch. His head started hurting and he felt tired. It was only eleven; he shouldn't feel tired yet. He'd stayed up later than this before. The phone started ringing. He sighed and stood up. He swayed for a moment and then walked toward the phone.

"Hello?" he said, tired.

"Craig? It's Spike. Joey just...you know, wanted me to make sure you were okay."

"Oh, yeah...Spike...is Emma...there?" Craig said slowly.

"Yeah, she is...Craig, are you okay?" Spike asked in a concerned voice.

"Um...I'm not sure...I feel sick and my head hurts and I feel tired."

"Well...have you been taking anything?"

"Yeah...me and Ashley...we were just arguing, and..." Craig groaned. He could barely stand up, but he was going to keep trying. He started breathing faster.

"Craig!" Spike cried. Craig could barely answer.

"Mmm..." he moaned. "Spike..."

The next thing Spike heard was the phone fall to the floor. She hung up the phone quickly and grabbed her car keys. Emma looked up at her worriedly. She stood up. "Is something wrong with Craig?" she asked.

"Yeah. Something is wrong with Craig. Something seriously wrong," Spike answered.

"I'm coming with you," Emma stated. Spike looked at her for a second before they both ran out to the car and sped to Craig's. The door was unlocked. She opened it quickly and was barely prepared for the next thing she saw.

Craig. Lying on the floor. Lifeless. "Oh, my God," Spike whispered. "Emma, call the hospital." Emma picked the phone up from the floor and called for an ambulance. She was panicking and didn't really know what to say. She finally got off of the phone. She knelt down next to Spike, who had managed to turn Craig onto his back. He was barely breathing.

"Please be okay, please be okay," Emma muttered. After what seemed like hours, the ambulance arrived. They took Craig to the hospital.

Emma couldn't sleep that night. She was worried about Craig; she wasn't sexually attracted to him, but he was one of her friends and she prayed that he didn't die.

She called Manny at about one in the morning. As soon as she told her what was going on, they were both crying. Manny snuck out of her house and came over to Emma's so that they could console each other in their moment of grief. Again, it was Ashley's fault. She had attempted to murder Craig again. Neither of them spoke as they laid on Emma's bed.

Spike returned from the hospital. She came into Emma's room to find the two girls upset. They looked at her pleadingly.

"They're gonna pump his stomach. It was a lithium overdose, and they don't know what's going to happen. And try not to worry about him. He's gotten through these weird kinds of happenings before; he gets lucky."

"But...but...what if this time he's not lucky? What if he goes...into a coma? Or dies? He could..." Emma said before leaning back onto Manny's shoulder and crying again. Spike walked over to the bed and put her hand on Emma's arm.

"Girls, he'll be okay. It wasn't a very big overdose; ten would be a fatal amount. For Craig...a few won't kill him. But if it happens again...then...well, it won't. Now go to bed. Both of you." The girls nodded and they both fell asleep on Emma's bed after a few hours of talking about possibilities of what could happen to Craig. Manny's mom would go crazy with worry if she found that Manny wasn't in bed. Manny could care less, though. She was upset.

Emma had never been more scared for someone else's life. She'd never thought about Craig dying because it didn't seem like something that would happen. All of a sudden, it did. Emma got off of the bed, and Manny followed behind her. They went into the kitchen, where Spike was sitting, talking to Snake.

"Mom? Are...are you gonna call Joey?" Emma asked. Spike looked up.

"I'll call him tomorrow. It's too late right now; he doesn't need to be hurrying back," she said quietly.

"Oh."

"Is that all?" Spike said. Emma nodded silently and the two girls retreated back to the bedroom.

Manny and Emma sat up talking all night. They fell asleep in the early hours of the morning. They decided to go to school late, but they didn't talk.

Several people asked them what was wrong, and they would straighten themselves and stay silent. Even Snake was quiet. The thought of yet another one of his students dying was almost too much to handle.

Paige finally got an answer out of Manny, who promptly cried while explaining the situation. News quickly spread around the school, and soon, everyone knew. Ellie refused to talk to Ashley; she knew that she had something to do with this. She always did.

In an effort to help people, Paige quietly told Spinner what Ashley was doing. Spinner first thought that Paige wanted him back and was making up a lie so that he would leave Ashley. But he looked at her and she looked back and she repeated her words. She wasn't lying. Spinner dumped Ashley about twenty minutes later. Again, Ashley was alone.

Joey drove quickly down the road. Caitlin was in the passenger seat, quiet. Joey's heart raced with worry, and he thought about Craig being in the hospital again. It was expensive, and this time, it wasn't some accident from slicing his arm, or falling down the stairs, or crashing the car into a tree; it was way more serious than that. There were more possible consequences with an overdose.

They finally got to Toronto. Joey dropped Caitlin off at home and went to the hospital. He asked for Craig's room, but had to talk to the doctor first. The doctor took him to a room with a window—a window that looked directly into Craig's room.

Craig was laying in bed. He looked the same way he did when he got in the car accident.

"Is he in...?" Joey said quietly.

"No. He's just sleeping. He got really lucky. I mean, he wouldn't have died, but he was lucky that he didn't take too many. A few more, and the Craig sleeping in that bed would be down in the morgue." Joey shuddered.

"Can...I go in there?" he asked.

"You're the father," the doctor answered. Joey nodded and walked briskly past the doctor. He opened the door to the room and sat down in the chair next to Craig's bed. He watched him sleep; his chest rose and fell, and he looked peaceful. The IV that was connected to his arm was also connected to the stand next to the bed. Fluid dripped inside the bag.

Joey put his hand on Craig's, which was cold from lying outside of the blankets and away from the rest of his body heat. He fell asleep about an hour later. Joey spent the next four days going in-and-out of the hospital to see if Craig was awake yet. He hand't woken up. The doctors assured him that he was just sleeping.

On the sixth day of Craig's hospitalization, Joey was yet again asleep in the hospital room.

Craig's eyes opened slowly as he woke up. He caught a glimpse of Joey next to him, with his hand a few inches from his own. The bright lights coming from the ceiling made Craig close his eyes immediately. He slowly moved his hand the few inches toward Joey's. He rested his hand on Joey's and sighed.

Joey woke up a minute later and looked up at Craig, who still looked asleep. Craig opened his eyes a little and looked at Joey. Joey smiled at him and Craig returned it with a weak grin. Joey was glad that he was able to see Craig...concious.

"How're you feeling?" Joey asked calmly.

"I'm okay," Craig said hoarsely. "At least I'm still alive." Joey nodded.

"I was worried about you," he said.

"I think everyone is. My shoulder hurts." Craig turned his head and looked at his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a large bruise. "It's probably from whenever I passed out. I don't even remember what happened."

"Spike said that you told her that you were arguing with Ashley," Joey said.

"Oh, yeah," Craig said, the events dawning on him. "She came over and talked about a bunch of nothing for no reason for like, an hour, and then she started yelling at me and telling me that I make a lot of mistakes. Then she said that I should take my meds, and...I did. All of the ones that were left in the bottle. I don't know how many were in there. Then I started feeling sick and I could barely walk. Spike called and I talked to her for a minute, and...that's all I can remember." Craig closed his eyes and sighed.

"She didn't call me until the day after it happened."

"Did anyone call?" Craig asked.

"Yeah...Emma, and...well, there's a list of people at home," Joey replied.

"Are you mad at me? For what happened?" Joey looked at Craig, who had opened his eyes again and was looking at him, waiting for an answer.

"No. I'm not mad. People do things that they regret; I'm not mad. Don't worry about it."

"I have to worry about it! Look at me! I'm always causing problems, and—"

"Shh. Craig, you need your rest. Just sleep, okay? You need it. Just calm down and rest." Craig looked at Joey and slowly closed his eyes. Joey ran his hand through Craig's hair and Craig sighed contently. He fell asleep in just minutes, and Joey told him goodnight and went home. He got a good night of sleep for once. He hadn't been able to sleep as good as he did that night in months. He'd been worried so much about what else could happen to Craig that he'd actually stopped focusing on his own health. He'd only been able to sleep about seven hours every night.

He didn't have to worry about Angie that much. Angie never really did anything. She just sat around in her room and played by herself. Sometimes, Craig would go in and play with her, but he usually kept to himself, too. Joey had heard him playing guitar a lot before he and Caitlin left. Joey admired Craig; not because of his looks, or his guitar skills, but because of his temperament. Because of how he managed things. His strength. The way he acted around most people.

The next morning, Joey took his time getting to the hospital to go see Craig. However, when he got there, Craig wasn't in his bed. He was about to go look for a doctor when Craig popped into the room from the hallway. He was wearing his regular clothes and looked pretty happy. They looked at each other for a second before Craig cleared his throat and gently pushed past Joey. He sat down on the bed and looked down at the floor.

"They're letting me out today," he said. There was no emotion in his voice at all. A flat, calm voice. "They just told me not to take more than the recommended dose on the bottle."

"Craig...is something wrong?" Joey asked in a concerned voice. Craig sighed, but didn't move.

"No. Not really. Just thinking," he replied. "About stuff." Joey was quiet.

"When are you coming home?" he asked a few minutes later.

"Whenever you want to take me there," Craig said. He still didn't look up. "Joey, I'm sorry about all of this. Really. Making you worry and making you pay for all of this, and...sorry for everything."

"Stop worrying about it. Sales have been great at the lot, and you don't need to worry about money." Craig was silent.

They didn't leave for about another hour. Craig was anxious to be home again. And when he was, he wouldn't be able to describe how happy he was. He didn't show it, though. That was one of his recent observations; he didn't show when he was happy. He was solemn.

"Hey, Craig!" Caitlin called. "You wanna come play Monopoly?" Craig looked up.

"Sure," he said. He got up and went into the kitchen. He sat down at the table. He picked the hat, and received confused looks from Joey, Caitlin, and Angie. "What?" he said. "I like the hat."

"Well, usually, you pick the dog," Angie said informatively.

"Well, usually doesn't mean that it happens everyday. I like the hat." Joey and Cailtin shrugged and picked their pieces.

About an hour-and-a-half into the game, Craig had ownership of Boardwalk, Park Place, and a few of the other properties. He also had all of the railroads. He was raking in the fake money every few minutes. On Boardwalk, Craig had two hotels. He had about $5000 now. Caitlin rolled the dice. She moved her thimble a few spaces. That was when she landed on it—Boardwalk. Her eyes widened. She stared up at Craig, who smirked. She sighed heavily and handed him his money.

"Well, that's all the money," said Joey. Craig cheered.

"I win!" he said happily. "You all lost to me! Waha!"

"Okay, Pennybags, you can clean up the game," Joey said, smiling. Craig's face fell.

"But—but—all the money—and the cards—" he stammered. Joey laughed.

"I'll help you," he said. So, they cleaned up the game. Afterward, they went into the livingroom and sat down.

"What's today?" Craig asked. He looked up at Joey.

"It's...Wednesday," Joey said. Craig nodded.

"School tomorrow," he muttered. "I hate school."

"Well, it doesn't hold that many good memories for you, does it?"

"It doesn't hold any good memories for any of us."

"Who's 'us'?" Joey asked.

"Me, Emma, Sean, Marco, Jimmy, Paige...us. I mean, me...I get into fights with people, and that day...when I saw Jimmy..." Craig stopped talking and inhaled. He hugged himself and leaned over. Joey put his hand on Craig's shoulder.

"Craig, it's okay. It's okay," he said softly.

"Every time I see Jimmy in the wheelchair, I think of him laying on the floor. I can't even go near that part of the school anymore." Joey looked up at the clock.

"It's getting late. Maybe you should go to bed," Joey suggested. Craig nodded and stood up. He went upstairs to his room and took his shoes off. His door opened and Joey entered. Craig looked up at him. He crawled into bed and faced Joey.

"Joey, could you turn the radio on?" he asked. Joey nodded and went over to the stereo. He pressed the power button and Craig smiled. "Thanks. I can't sleep when it's quiet." Joey smiled.

"Goodnight, Craig," he said. He walked over to the door and turned the light off. Craig fell asleep almost instantly.

At school the next day, Craig didn't talk to anyone. Except Manny and Paige, that is. Of course, neither of them were because of his personal choice.

Paige was the last person he would've expected to talk to him. She'd been talking to Ashley, and he'd been sitting in the front of the school on the steps, minding his own affairs. He was thinking about things and he didn't really notice that they'd been standing a few feet away from him. He was quickly drawn out of his thoughts when he felt someone's cold hand on his arm. He jumped and looked up. Paige was looking back at him.

"Hey," she said casually.

"Hey," Craig said. He stood up and faced her. He was still a few inches taller than Paige.

"Um...I was just wondering...did you get Ellie's letter?" Paige asked. Craig stared at her.

"No," he answered. Paige sighed. She dreaded telling him everything, but she did.

"Ashley's was just with Spinner so that she could make you jealous. She's stupid. She doesn't even like Spinner. She's going to go to someone else and keep doing it." Paige dared to look up at Craig. Big mistake. His dark eyes reflected sadness and pain. Craig turned and went into the building.

When Manny talked to him, it was actually important. They talked by her locker.

"I feel so stupid. I never should've done that to you," Manny sobbed. "I hurt you so bad, I shouldn't have..." Craig wrapped his arms around Manny. He looked into her dark, brown eyes.

"Manny. You didn't make the mistake alone. We made it. It shouldn't have happened at all. But I promise you, it will never happen again. Ever. And you did the right thing. Maybe it didn't seem like the right thing then, but now that I look back on it, it does. I mean, come on—we weren't fit to be parents. We will be someday."

"Craig, I could've...given it up for adoption...or something..."

"Stop it! Why would you want to spend nine months nurturing something that you're just gonna give up to someone else? Why would you want to gain all that weight and become some fat lard? You wouldn't! You would give a lot up because of all the extra weight! And that wouldn't be fair! Okay?" Manny nodded. "You might want to go into the washroom and wash some of the makeup off of your face, 'cause it looks a little odd." Manny blushed and smiled and ran down the hall to the bathroom.

Craig sighed and started off to class. When he got there, he found a piece of paper folded up. A note! 'To Craig, From Ashley.' Craig looked up at Ashley, who was looking right back at him. He picked it up and unfolded it.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! CLIFFHANGER! DOES HE READ IT? RIP IT UP? THROW IT AT HER? EAT IT? YOU'LL ALL FIND OUT IN PART 13! WAAAAAAHA! I KNOW, I'M EVIL! IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO WRITE THIS! PANT, PANT. MY INTERNET'S BEING RETARDED, SO I GUESS I'M GONNA HAVE TO WAIT FOR IT TO BE SMART AGAIN...WAAAHA! IT'S SEPTEMBER FOURTEENTH RIGHT NOW! AND IT'S 8:03 AT NIGHT! FROM HERE ON, WE'LL ALL COUNT HOW MANY MINUTES IT TOOK TO POST THIS!


	17. Part 13: Heal Me, I'm Heartsick

**Part 13: Heal Me, I'm Heartsick**

**A/N: OKAY, PEOPLE! WHAT'S UP? Had a crap day today...but let's not worry about that. **

**NOTES TO REVIEWERS: **

**KIKI**: You're totally right. That stupid cow had no right to say what she said about this story. It's better than anything she could write... God, what a total bitch...I was kind of confused when I first read your message on MySpace. It was really...I don't know. But I understood it. Yes...I should sue her for harassment...

**READ THE CHAPTER!**

**DO IT NOW!**

Craig almost broke down in the middle of class. He stared at the note in shock.

'Craig,

I'm sorry for any pain I've caused you in the last few years. But please understand that you're not the only one that got hurt. I've tried to forget about it, but somehow...I can't. That's why I'm going back to London on Saturday. That way, maybe I'll forget about everything and start a new life.

Love Always, Ashley.'

Craig closed his eyes and breathed. He opened his eyes again and looked around. Ashley was looking at him and was obviously looking for a reaction. Craig couldn't even give her one. He stared back down at the note and then folded it back up and put it in his pocket.

After school, Craig slowly went to his locker. He leaned up against it and sighed. That was when Sean came up to him and looked at him. "What's goin' on?" Sean asked. Craig looked at him. He reached into his pocket and pulled the note out. He handed it to Sean, who promptly read it.

"She's leaving? On Saturday? That's...tomorrow." said Sean. Craig nodded quietly. "Well...you're...not over her." Craig shook his head.

"I'm gonna go get Ellie. I'll be right back." Sean left, still holding the note. He returned a minute later with Ellie. "We're leaving. Come on." Craig looked at Sean hesitantly and then followed him out of the school.

"She didn't even tell me about this," Ellie said as they walked out of the building. Craig didn't say anything. Ellie put her hand on his shoulder. "Craig..." she whispered.

"Don't," Craig said quickly. Everyone was quiet the entire way to the apartment.

"So..." said Sean.

"So..." Ellie answered. Craig said nothing. He was leaning on the side of the couch, staring at the wall. "Craig!" she said. Craig looked over at her.

"What?" he asked. Ellie looked at him expectantly.

"Don't space out on us. We're trying to help you."

"How? Nobody can help me. Just...face it, Ellie. Joey should've left me in the hospital," Craig said flatly.

"What?" Sean said blankly.

"Remember? The psych ward? He shouldn't have let me leave. I wasn't cutting myself, but he's not even able to deal with me right now. Maybe...when I'm stable."

"Craig, you are stable," Ellie said.

"Really? I didn't notice."

"You haven't freaked out at all. You're fine."  
"Ellie! I'm off my meds! I took them a few times, and that's it! I can't even get used to taking them for a short period of time!" Ellie could tell that Craig was upset. It was obvious. How could he not be? If Sean told her that he wasn't in love with her anymore, and then hooked up with Paige, and then she found out that Sean was using Paige to make her jealous, and then he upped and left for another country...that would break her heart, too. Sean didn't say anything. Craig was silent. Nobody said anything. It was an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Sean spoke.

"This is weird," he said.

"Everything's weird," Craig replied. "But if everything's weird, then it makes everything equally normal."  
"Huh?" Sean said. He turned and looked over at Craig, who shrugged.

"It's a weird-person-logic," Craig said simply. "I should probably get going."

"Okay. I'll...talk to you later, I guess," said Sean.

"Bye, Craig," Ellie muttered. She leaned over on Sean's shoulder and sadly watched as Craig stood up and left.

Craig walked home slowly. There was a thin layer of snow in the lawns that he walked by. He finally got home. No one was there. He wondered where they had gone because they'd usually be home by now. He sat down on the stairs in front of the door. Smoky **the cat, reference Part 10: Wake Me Up When December Ends** came up to him and rubbed its head against his leg. Craig ignored him.

He leaned up against the wall and sighed. The cat curled up next to him and fell asleep. Craig thought about a lot of things; Ashley, Jay, his life, his medications, and...just everything.

"Craig!"

Craig looked up. He had been shaken from his light sleep by Joey, who was sitting next to him on the stairs.

"You okay?" Joey asked. Craig looked at him tiredly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he whispered. "I'm a little tired and my head kind of hurts, but yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay. It's almost time to go to the therapist," said Joey. Craig moaned.

"I hate going! Why do I even go? I tell you more than I tell her!" he cried.

"Craig. Calm down. You're going."

"This is just what I told Ellie," Craig muttered. He stood up from the stairs and walked into the kitchen. He pulled a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with water. Joey stood up and followed him to the kitchen.

"What did you tell Ellie?" Joey inquired.

"I told Ellie that no matter how much I think being bipolar sucks, I am. And I can't change it. And...if being bipolar means going to a shrink, then it doesn't matter if I think that sucks, either. Because I still can't change it. Nobody cares about how I feel or what I think about things. They always make my decisions for me."

"Okay," Joey said, sighing. "If you go to this one, and you absolutely hate it, then you don't have to go back. I promise." Craig looked up at Joey and smiled.

"Okay, then. I think we have a deal," he said coolly. '

At the Shrink's!

"Craig, do you know why you were trying to commit suicide?" the shrink asked.

"No," Craig answered. "Because I wasn't trying to commit suicide."

"Denial is common." Craig looked up at her. He was about ready to slap her, but decided against it.

"I'm not in denial of anything! I wasn't trying to kill myself! I only tried once! And that was years ago!" he shouted.

"Craig, I'm not going to force it out of you. I was simply asking. How is your home life?"

"What're you talking about?" Craig mumbled, leaning back onto the couch.

"Your life at home. Are you happy?"

"Happy. Happy is a state of mind. My mind is messed up. Therefore, I do not know if I am happy or not. But, you're the licensed therapist! You should know all about people's minds, especially mine, seeing as you keep telling me that I'm in denial, which I'm not!"

"Craig, please, calm down," she said.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"Okay, let me rephrase the first question—Do you like your life at home?"

"I don't even have a home anymore. But, yes, I like the house in which I live. Joey and Caitlin are cool, and Angie's the only thing keeping me sane. Why do you care?"

"Because I just do. I know about your past, Craig."  
"Really? Which part?" Craig asked coldly.

"All of it. About your parents, about your relationships, and...about everything."

"No! You don't! You don't know anything about my past that everyone else doesn't! Don't feel special! I'm the only one that knows about my past, okay? Stop trying to act like you know me! Because you don't! Nobody knows me! I don't even know me! Just—stop talking to me! I hate you! You're a psychotic wench! Stay away from me!" Craig stood up and ran out of the room. He went outside and called Joey.

About ten minutes later, Joey showed up in front of the building. Craig quietly got into the car and closed the door. He put his seatbelt on and leaned up against the door.

"What happened?" Joey asked calmly.

"Nothing. I'm not going back," Craig answered firmly.

"Okay," Joey said. "I'm not gonna make you." After a minute of silence, Craig said,

"You know, I wasn't cutting myself. That whole time, I wasn't."

"I believe you," said Joey.

"What?" Craig cried. "Then why did you put me in the—"

"Because it took me until the other day to figure it out."

"I spent Christmas alone. Sure, Ellie and Jimmy and Sean visited, but I was alone. I had to think about how happy you and Caitlin and Angie were. Without me."

"I'm sorry," Joey whispered. They reached home a few minutes later and Craig got out of the car and went inside. It was warm in there. A little too warm. He took his jacket off, but he was still hot. He went up to his room and put the jacket in the closet. He closed the door and opened the window. He went back to his bed and took his shirt off. He stretched out on the cool blankets and sighed contently.

"Ahhh," he said. He wrapped his arms around his pillow and plopped his head on it. This was the best feeling he'd had all day.

He heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" he called. Someone had ruined his moment of peace and tranquility. Joey walked in and handed him the phone. Craig thanked him and Joey turned and left, closing the door behind him.

"Hello?" he said.

"Craig, it's me." Craig turned onto his back and sighed. It was Ashley.

"What are you calling for?" Craig said quietly.

"I just wanted to say...that if you didn't accept the apology in the note...I'm sorry for everything I've done to you."

"Well, either way, the 'apology' isn't accepted. Stop calling me," said Craig.

"Craig! I'm trying to make amends here! Would you just...help me?" Ashley begged.

"No! I'm sick of helping you do things! You never help me with things! Ever! You just make them worse!"

"And I'm trying to make it better. But obviously I can't."

"Oh, finally you say something right!"

"Craig, I don't know what I was thinking! I'm going to London because...the life I have here is overwhelming, and...I don't know. But I'll call you when I get there."

"Why? I told you to _stop calling me_! It's over!" Craig shouted.

"I don't want it to be!"

"Screw you! You did this to us! I never told you to go off and be with Spinner! If you didn't have this horrible problem, maybe things would've changed at the party!"

"Like what?" Ashley demanded.

"Maybe...maybe I wouldn't have almost drowned! I could've been farther away from the pool and maybe I would've just fell onto the concrete or something! But, no! Everything was different because you were with Spinner! And I don't even care anymore. Have a nice new life." Craig hung up the phone and tossed it to the floor.

He rolled back over onto his side and stretched out again. Joey came back into the room a few minutes later.

"Craig? Who was that?" he asked. He picked the phone up from the floor and looked up at Craig.

"It was Ashley," Craig responded. "She was being stupid again. I don't want her to call again, so...if she does, just tell her I'm not here or I'm asleep or dead or something."

Joey smiled and nodded. "I'll make sure to tell her that you're no longer living," he said. He left the room again and Craig got up from the bed. Taking his time, he put a clean shirt and a sweatshirt on and went downstairs. Angie was sitting on the couch with the cat when he got down to the living room.

"Hi, Craig," Angie said, stroking the cat's head.

"Hi," Craig muttered. "Where's Caitlin?"

"She...forgot something at work. She went back to go get it," Joey said.

"Oh." Craig sat down on the couch next to Angie and leaned up against the side. "My stomach hurts."

"What'd you eat today?" Joey asked.

"I had a Pepsi. Woo," Craig answered.

"You're probably hungry." Craig shrugged.

"I didn't know that hunger made you have headaches."

"You have a headache?" said Joey. He walked into the living room and put his hand on Craig's forehead. "And you have a fever."

"Sorry," Craig said quietly.

"For what? Being sick? There's really nothing you can do." Joey walked off and came back with a pillow. He put it on Craig's lap and then also sat down.

"You shouldn't have to put up with me being sick. I'll still go to school, but..." He put the pillow behind him and looked at Joey.

"Well, you should be better by then," Joey said. Craig shrugged and leaned back on the pillow.

"If that's the way you're gonna be, then thanks," he said simply.

"What?" said Joey blankly.

"For not complaining about me being sick."

"No problem." They watched TV for a while. Angie fell asleep, and Craig was starting to get tired. A feeling in his stomach made him sit up. He held his stomach and jogged to the bathroom.

"Craig, are you okay?" Joey called. He followed Craig to the bathroom and listened to him vomit. Finally, it stopped, and Joey walked in and put his hand on Craig's shoulder.

"You okay?" he repeated.

"I feel sick," Craig moaned. "I think I have food poisoning."

"From what?"

"From...whatever they were serving in the cafeteria today."

"I thought you only had a Pepsi for lunch today."

"I did. But then Marco gave me part of something that they had in the cafeteria. I should probably call him and see if he's sick, too." Craig stood up and walked to the phone. He called Marco's house. Sure enough, he was sick.

"It's food poisoning, man. I tell you, that school is cursed. It's trying to kill everyone." This made Marco laugh.

"That makes all the glass and stairs a little more sensible," said Marco. Craig laughed and they talked for a few more minutes before hanging up.

"Yep. He's sick," Craig said. "Probably even more so than I am." Joey nodded.

"Makes sense."

"I'm...I'm gonna go lay down, okay? If you need anything, or...something, then just come get me or something."

"Okay," Joey said calmly.

Craig went upstairs and stretched out on the mattress. He put his hands on his stomach and slowly dozed off. That was when it happened; the reoccurring dream...not a dream—a nightmare—had come back. It was the same one—Craig would be sleeping and out of nowhere his father would burst into the room and start beating him. All the while, all of his friends and Joey are watching. Joey turns around and walks away, while everyone else just watches. They don't do anything. They don't say anything or try to move. They just watch.

"CRAIG!"

Craig was quickly pulled back into reality. He opened his eyes and sat up straight. Joey and Caitlin were sitting on his bed, looking at him, concerned. "Are you alright?" Craig ran his hand through his hair and found that he was covered in icy sweat.

You know, I always wondered why in books and stuff people who have nightmares are covered in _cold _sweat. Seriously. Why isn't it hot? Or at least warm? I mean, _what makes their sweat cold_? Surely they're not ALL in cold environments! Whatever. It sounds good.

His shirt was soaked in it, too. He was quiet for a minute before he looked up at them.

"Yeah. I think...I think I'll be fine. Just...just another weird dream," he whispered. He didn't notice that he was shaking until Caitlin put her hand on his arm.

"You're not fine," she said.

"Well...maybe not now, but I will be," Craig said. "I need to see a...doctor or...something."

"Craig, you were going to a therapist, and you told me that you didn't want to go," Joey replied.

"Yeah, well, maybe I should go back. Just not now. Now, I have to...go take a shower. I have to put on different clothes and...call people."

"Okay." Craig turned and got off the bed. The dream kept playing back in his head, only he was conscious so it wasn't as bad. After gathering some dry clothes, he went into the bathroom and started running the hot water. His headache returned and he quickly stepped out of the shower. He got dressed and leaned up against the door. He held his head and moaned.

"Why me? Why?" he said to himself. He waited until the headache faded and then stood up. He left the bathroom and took his other clothes into his room. As he opened the door, he found Joey and Caitlin kissing on his bed.

"Hey! Off my bed, you perverts!" he yelled. Joey and Caitlin instantly separated and blushed. "Just for that you can clean my blankets. Sickos." Craig shook his head in mock shame and dumped his clothes next to the closet in the large pile that had been formed since last week. Caitlin ran out of the room, embarrassed, leaving Joey and Craig alone.

"So what's goin' on?" Joey asked casually.

"Nothing. I just found my stepparents trying to reproduce on my bed, but, uh...nothing." Joey laughed. "What's so funny? I don't find this funny at all. I'm thoroughly disgusted with you two. Why? On my bed? Why? I sleep on this, you know. You've probably done this before...on my bed...that's probably why I've been having weird thoughts!" Craig smiled. He really did find it humorous that Joey and Caitlin were doing that on his bed. Thankfully, they weren't _really_ trying to 'reproduce'. They _were _just kissing.

"Okay, other than that."

"Oh, other than my stepparents ready to make little Joeys and Caitlins...okay, absolutely nothing. Seriously. I've been doing fine, and...I'm doing good in school, and there's really nothing special about life."

"Well. Why don't you come by the lot tomorrow?" Joey asked.

"Why?" said Craig suspiciously. "So that you and Caitlin can have children in my bed?"

"No," Joey said. He laughed again. "Because I want you to see something."

"Fine," Craig said. "I'll come see it. But if there's any nastiness between you and Caitlin...I'm leaving."

"Okay," Joey said. "Agreeing."

"Thank you. You can go now." Joey nodded and left the room. He could've left whenever he wanted, but he decided to wait until Craig was done with his monologue.

Craig got back onto his bed. He was afraid to fall asleep, but he did at last. He could hear the noises coming from outside, and it was enough to keep the nightmare away...for now.

The next day, Craig and Joey went to the car lot. Craig followed Joey to the back and that was when he saw it—a black convertible. It was shiny, and it looked like it was in pretty good condition. And, although it was small, he was amazed by the way it looked. "It's yours," Joey said. Craig's jaw dropped.

"Mine? But...how did you get the money...?" he said.

"Well, so, so long ago, when you were in jail, I talked to the attorney, and he had gone through all of the stuff in your dad's apartment and he found a bunch of money. He told me to give it to you, but I knew that you wanted a car, so...I was kind of waiting for the right one. This one's okay, though, right? I mean, you like it?"

"Hell, yes, I like it," Craig said quickly. "Where are the keys?" Joey reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pair of keys and dangled them in front of Craig. Craig reached for them, but Joey quickly pulled them back. "No drinking. No speeding, and no drugs. Got it?" Craig nodded. Joey handed him the keys and Craig grinned. He got into the car and started it.

"Hahaha!" he said happily. "I'm gonna go over to Sean's, okay?" Joey nodded. Finally. Craig's driver's ed had paid off. He knew that he'd taken it when he was younger, but he just didn't want to get him the car because he didn't have the money. But, now, Craig had his own car and he was able to go wherever he wanted. No more having to drive him around.

"Man, this is an awesome car," Sean said in awe.

"Yeah, I know."

"A BMW. Damn."

"Craig, this is a really, really nice car," said Ellie.

"You guys wanna go for a ride?" Craig asked. Sean and Ellie nodded and got into the car. He started the car and they drove off. They had been driving for about ten minutes when they saw a familiar person walking on the side of the road. Craig slowed down and rolled down the window.

"Alex! Where are you going?" he asked.

"Nowhere in particular," Alex answered.

"Well, why don't you get in and we'll go...nowhere in particular." Alex shrugged and waited for Sean to get out of the passenger seat so that she could get in the back with Ellie.

"Where'd you get this car?" Alex asked.

"From...my dad," Craig said. "I mean, it was his money, but Joey took care of all of it and found it and stuff, but..." They drove around a little while more, listening to music.

That was when they saw her. Ashley. Sean said that he wanted to say something to her, so out of courtesy, Craig stopped in front of her house and Ashley approached the car.

"See, Ashley? You could've had all this...and more." Sean stroked the leather interior. Ashley stared at him. Toby walked up to them and looked at the car.

"Nice car. Whose is it?" said Toby.

"It's Craig's," Sean answered. "It's almost brand-new and to think...you could've been given a chance to ride in it, had it not been for your oh-so brilliant sister." Sean glanced over at Ashley.

"Ash! Stop dumping him! I like that car!" Toby cried. "Why do you do stupid things like that?" Toby smacked her arm and pushed past her. Ashley turned around and walked away. Craig laughed maniacally, along with Sean and Alex. Ellie didn't think it was funny, but the other three did.

"You guys, that was really harsh," Ellie said quietly.

"Ellie, that was really something to kill the happy mood," Alex said scoldingly. Ellie sighed and looked back at Ashley, who was talking to Kate on the porch. Kate glared over at Sean.

"Later, Kerwin!" Sean called. Craig hit the gas and they drove off. Craig was finally free. Free of Ashley. No more worrying about being perfect for her or anything. He was just free.

A week later, another life-changing event happened.

It was about 6:30 at night, and it was Monday. Craig was playing guitar in the garage, because Angie was sick and resting upstairs. He was sitting on the couch, playing random music. The door behind him opened. He kept playing, expecting it to just be Joey. But the person who stood in front of him wasn't Joey.

"Hey, what's up, Ellie?" Craig said. He put the guitar on the stand and Ellie sat down next to him.

"Nothing much. I just came by to see how you were doing," Ellie responded.

"Oh. Well...I'm doing okay."

"That's good," Ellie said, nodding. "Me and Sean just had a fight. He's mad because I had a headache earlier and I said I wanted to go lay down, but him and his friends wanted to party everywhere, including in _our_ room. He's so careless sometimes!"

"I'm sorry," Craig said sadly. "You guys shouldn't have to fight."  
"Nope. But...things like that happen."

"Sort of like me and Ash..." Craig trailed off and looked at the ground. "But you're nicer than Ash." They looked at each other, and without any warning whatsoever, the small gap between them closed and they found themselves kissing. In less than a minute, Ellie was laying on the couch with Craig on top of her, and they were still kissing. She wasn't sure how this was happening, and neither was Craig.

Ellie had her arms wrapped around Craig's neck and they kissed for what didn't seem like long, but in reality, it was.

"Ellie?" The two pulled apart immediately and Craig rolled off onto the floor. He sat up and got back on the couch. Jimmy had just come in. Craig wondered what he was doing in there. "You and Ellie?"

"Jimmy, what're you doing here?" Craig asked.  
"Well, I came here to give you that CD you wanted..." Jimmy answered.

"Oh, right. The CD..." Craig muttered. Jimmy handed Craig a CD. Craig examined it. "Thanks, man."

"No problem. Uh...I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow, and uh...I promise not to tell...later."

"Later," Craig said. Jimmy left and Craig and Ellie were alone again. "Ellie..."

Ellie stood up. "Where're you going?" Craig said.

"I'm leaving. Craig...you're a great person and everything...but I have a home. And it's with Sean. Not with you." Ellie looked at Craig and then ran out of the garage.

Craig sat on the couch for a few minutes, thinking about what Ellie said. Then, he got up and went inside. He was about to go up the stairs when he saw Joey about to come down. Craig jogged up the stairs and pushed past Joey. He ran into his room and slammed the door shut.

"Is he okay?" Caitlin asked. She turned from the couch and looked at Joey.

"I have no idea," Joey said. "I should probably give him a little time to cool off from whatever he was pissed off at."

Meanwhile, up in Craig's room, Craig was doing the best he could not to break something. Thankfully, he had taken his medications, otherwise he would've. He laid down on the bed and fell asleep. Thankfully, tonight, he didn't have any nightmares. He had a dreamless sleep, which gave him the impression that he hadn't slept as long as he actually had.

The next morning, Craig awoke and stretched. He'd slept for...what? Twelve hours? He'd slept longer. He got up and went downstairs. Craig refused to tell Joey what had happened last night.

"Okay, I'm leaving now," Craig said. Craig jingled the keys to his car on his finger.

"Bye," everyone said. Craig waved goodbye and walked out the front door. Joey listened to Craig start his car and drive off.

Craig drove to Sean and Ellie's apartment. Ellie and Sean were waiting outside. Ellie wordlessly got into the backseat and Sean got in the front. Craig made a last-minute decision to go get Alex, wherever she may be. They found her, a few blocks away from the school. She got in the car and Craig gave her a ride to school. Everyone standing outside the school stared at Craig's shiny black car. This was the first day Craig had decided to drive it to school. He hadn't really wanted to risk leaving outside the school...alone. But, now, he decided to. He was willing to take the risk. Craig and Sean got out of the car, with Alex and Ellie following. They walked into the school together and then went their separate ways to their lockers. Paige approached Craig.

"Where'd you get the car?" she asked.

"My dad. I mean, his money."

"Oh. It's pretty nice."

"Yeah, it is."

"So...how've you been?" said Paige.

"I've been...okay. I mean, after what happened last night, life really, really sucks. But...that's different."

"What happened last night?"

"It...nothing."

"No, tell me!" Paige begged.

"Fine, but you have to promise not to tell," Craig said. Paige nodded. Craig went into detail about what happened between he and Ellie the night before. He wasn't sure why he was comfortable talking to Paige at all. They used to not like each other. People change when you're both students of the most cursed school in all of Canada, right?

The entire day, Craig avoided anyone touching him. He wasn't entirely sure why he was doing this, but it was like an instinct. He wasn't going to let anyone else get close to him or give him false hope.

After school, Jay was waiting for Craig by his car, leaning up against the door.

"What do you want?" Craig asked, pulling the keys out of his pocket.

"Whoa, you might want to be a little nicer to the guy who saved your life," Jay said defensively.

"Yeah, well...fine. What's up, Jay?"

"Nothin'. Um...my car's getting some customs on it, and...I kinda need a ride."

Craig looked at him hesitantly. He looked around. "Where to?" he said.

"To The Dot," Jay answered.

"Okay. Fine. Spinner just got me a job there, so...okay. I needed to be there anyway. Let's go." Craig waited for Jay to head to the other side of the car before unlocking the doors and letting Jay in. He leaned up against the car for a second. He looked at Alex, who saw Jay get into the car. They looked at each other for a moment before Alex walked up to him.

"Not friends with Jay? Really? Because, uh...that's kind of what it looks like," Alex said. Craig could tell she was pissed.

"Alex, I'm just giving him a ride to the café. I got a job there and I have to go anyway, so...it's not wasting any of my gas."

"Don't even try to make excuses. I knew you were lying to me. But why? Why, Craig? I thought I could trust you!" Alex slapped him across the face before turning and running away. Craig was irritated enough that day. He didn't need Alex telling him who he could be friends with. He got in the car and started it. He drove off quickly. He was glad that Spinner had gotten him the job just two days before.

Jay didn't say anything. The drive to The Dot was quiet. When they pulled up to the café, Jay looked over at Craig. "Dude, what's wrong?" Jay asked. Craig wiped the side of his face with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

"Nothing, man," Craig said quickly. He got out of the car and the two went into The Dot.

"Craig, come on!" Spinner called. Craig wondered how he had gotten there so fast. "You're washing dishes!" Craig rolled his eyes and reluctantly took the apron off of the hook and began washing the plates with mysterious foods stuck to the porcelain.

He finally finished all of the dishes and stretched his arms. He looked over to the doorway. Spinner was holding another large stack of dishes. Craig sighed as he watched Spinner set the dishes on the counter. Craig spent the next hour-and-a-half washing all of the dishes that Spinner brought him. At last, the plates and bowls and cups stopped coming and Craig looked at Spinner.

"We're all finished here. For tonight, anyway. The next shift should be coming in soon," Spinner said.

"Haha! I've gotten through this day!" Craig said triumphantly.

"Yep. Now just get through the next seven months of it!" Spinner said.

"Seven?" Craig said blankly.

"Yeah. I figure you'll probably be working here during the summer...you know, just because that's how it tends to work, and...yep. Seven more months. Get used to it. But, you'll probably get a higher rank than dishwasher. I was once a you. And now I am a me—a waiter for people. You will be soon, too, Craig. Don't be too jealous." Spinner grinned and Craig did the same mockingly and took the apron off. He set it back on the hook.

"So..." Craig muttered.

"So..." Spinner repeated.

"So, now what?" Craig asked.

"Now...we leave. We go home and be with our wonderful families," Spinner responded.

"Thank God," Craig said. "I'm gonna get in my pretty BMW and go to my 'home', and occupy the couch whilst being unconscious. See you tomorrow, Spin."

"Later," Spinner called. They got into their cars and drove off. Craig still wondered how Spinner had gotten there first.

Craig got home and locked up his car and then went in the house. He put his keys next to the stairs and looked around. He noticed nobody was on the couch, so he did as he said he would and stretched out on the couch. Craig let out a long yawn and closed his eyes.

"Craig, could you help me out and do some of the dishes?" Joey asked. Craig moaned and rolled over onto his stomach.

"I just finished washing four-hundred plates and cups and bowls from people I don't know! Why would you even think that I'd want to wash more? I have to do this every day until I get a 'promotion'!" Craig cried. "Can I just...wait until tomorrow morning? My arms are tired from lifting the stupid plates."

"Okay. Fine. Tomorrow. Dishes. Do them."

"Thank you."

"Craig, you're going to the doctor's tomorrow," Joey said suddenly. Craig sat up straight and looked at Joey.

"What? Why?" he demanded.

"Because the doctor has some information about your medications," Joey said.

"Maybe I don't want him messing with my medications. Maybe he doesn't need to," Craig said quickly.

"That's for the doctor to decide. You're going. About this time tomorrow. And I'll make sure of that."

"How?" Craig asked. Joey walked over to the stairs. He picked up the keys to the BMW.

"Because I'm taking you there," Joey answered. He twirled the keys on his finger.

"No, Joey, come on. I'll go," Craig said pleadingly. "Not my car. Don't take my keys..."

"Craig, I'm not taking your car away. I'm going to be with you in your precious baby car and make sure that you actually go."

"Oh, thank God," Craig sighed. "Now...put the keys back...good, Joey." Joey set the keys carefully down on the stairwell again. "I'm going to bed."

"Craig, it's 7:00," Joey said.

"Yeah, I know. Don't you know it's important for people to get enough sleep?" Joey shrugged.

Craig ran up to his room and pushed the door behind him, not closing it all the way. It was hot in the room, so Craig went to the window and opened it. As he had the week before, Craig removed his shirt and threw it to the floor.

He felt the very cold breeze from outside, but when he got under the blankets, he felt content. He felt peaceful. But somehow...Craig wasn't happy. At all. In fact, he wasn't even able to fall asleep that night. Well, he finally did, after six hours of deep thought about everything. He thought mostly about Ashley and Ellie. His eyes began hurting, but at last, he fell asleep.

It was Craig's third day of working at The Dot, and he was doing great. He was getting the dishes washed faster and more efficiently. Every time Spinner carried in another load, Craig would just smirk and wash them. Spinner was amazed. He couldn't even do that when he started working here.

That is, until a sharp pain stabbed in the back of Craig's skull, making him drop the plate he was holding. The plate shattered to the floor, and he grabbed the back of his head. Spinner came rushing in.

"Dude, is everything okay in here?" Spinner asked. "What's wrong with your head?"

"It's called a headache," Craig answered. "Ever have one?" Spinner shrugged.

"I'll get you some ice," he said simply. Spinner went to the freezer and got a small bag of ice. He handed it to Craig.

"You'd better get back to work. And don't worry about the plate. I'll take the blame." Craig nodded and sat down in a chair that was against the wall. He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. He let out a loud moan as another wave of pain came through. This pain was unbearable.

"Spinner! I have to go home and talk to Joey about these meds. They're messing up my head even more," Craig shouted.

"Okay," Spinner said. "I'll tell him you're sick. But you owe me for washing the dishes, man!"

"Yes, Spinner! I'll pay you back! I just...I have to go," said Craig. He put his dishwashing apron on the hook and then jogged out to his car. While he was driving, he was careful not to get in an accident, which he feared he might because of his headache.

"Joey, these new medications are screwing me up," Craig said sadly. "Why would you just let them do that?"

"The doctor said that usually after you change your medications, you might have some minor side effects, but—"

"But nothing, Joey! I liked the old medications! The ones that didn't make me have headaches! Just...call the doctor and tell him to switch me back to my old ones!"

"Craig, you barely even took the old ones," Joey said.

"I would if they were better than this!" Craig moaned as another pain swept through his head.

"Just keep using these ones for another week, and if the headaches keep coming, then I'll take you to the doctor have him switch them back."

"Oh, don't worry about me!" Craig said sarcastically. "By then I'll only have no job and my car will be in a junkyard because I couldn't control it while having one of these headaches! But, oh, no, one week of headaches will do no harm!" Craig kicked the chair and stood up. He ran outside, and Joey was almost afraid of where he'd go. However, he'd probably just go to the garage.

He waited for a minute and then went outside to the garage. The light inside of the garage was on, and that told him that Craig was, in fact, in there. He opened the door, and sure enough, Craig was in there, lying on the couch. Craig was facing into the couch, and he was holding the back of his head. Joey went over to the couch and knelt down next to Craig.

"You okay?" Joey asked quietly. Craig didn't say anything. "Craig?"

"Stay away from me," Craig muttered.

"Craig, I'm sorry...I know that these headaches hurt, okay? I'll take you to the doctor next week. You can't just call in and say that you have a prescription emergency and that you need them to be changed right this instant."

"I never asked you to. I want them changed. I like working with Spinner. I'll lose my job if I drop anything else. And if you like me having the headaches, then that just shows you how much you give a crap about me."

"Craig, I do care about you. And, no, I don't like you having the headaches. But other people have waited weeks to have appointments. I can't just ask him to push all the other people away and let you in because you need a prescription change."

"Then don't. Just stay away from me and don't act like you're trying to help me anymore. I don't need help." Joey put his hand on Craig's shoulder. Craig flinched and got closer to the corner of the couch. Joey watched him sadly.

"Okay. I'm gonna go back inside now, and...you can come in whenever you want." Joey stood up and left the garage. Craig had actually become cold-hearted. Okay, that's a little harsh. Empty-hearted. He was numb to everything now. He wouldn't talk to anyone after that, and he wouldn't allow himself to be touched by anyone, even Angela. Joey still had no idea what made him like this; it couldn't have been the fact that he wouldn't take him to the doctor. It was more serious to Craig than that.

Sean had called a few times, and Joey realized that Craig would talk to Sean. He always would. Sean was pretty much Craig's best friend. He'd sit up in his room for hours on end talking to Sean about everything. Joey had been tempted to eavesdrop, but that just wasn't his style.

One day, after school, probably on one of Craig's days off, Craig and Sean went somewhere downtown. Joey wasn't sure where it was, but it was obviously another part of Craig's life that he wanted to keep away from everyone else. There wasn't really a reason why, but days after this mysterious visit downtown, Joey went to Craig's therapist. He had lied to Craig, and still made him go to this woman, even after everything that she'd put Craig through.

This therapist, or shrink, as Craig had called her, seemed like she knew everything about Craig. But Joey didn't even know everything about Craig. He hated talking about his old life with his father, and on the off occasion that he did, it was just about how mad he was at his mother for leaving him there alone. Craig also hated talking about his medications, and about Ashley. Joey hadn't heard anything about Ashley for a long time.

Anyway, the shrink was telling Joey how to break Craig of this odd, empty-hearted, reclusive state that he was in. "Be sensitive to his past. I've worked with a lot of teens, and from what I've heard, teens that have been abused in the past shouldn't be dealt with in a harsh manner."

Joey nodded. He left the building about ten minutes later and drove home. But he wasn't prepared for what he found when he got there. Angela. Alone. Craig was supposed to be watching her.

"Angela, where's Craig?" Joey said loudly.

"I don't know."

"Did he say when he was going to be back?"

"He isn't." The words sank into Joey's mind. What had Craig told this innocent little girl? Panic struck him and he picked up the phone and called Sean.

"Sean, do you know where Craig is?" Joey asked.

"No, I haven't talked to him today," Sean replied. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Craig left Angela here alone and she said that he told her he's not coming back." Sean's eyes widened.

_Craig , Alex and Sean were on top of a business building about twenty stories high. They were overlooking the edge of it. "I wish we had some marshmallows," Alex said out of nowhere. _

_Craig looked over at Sean. "Why?" he asked. _

"_Because if you drop a marshmallow off of a building this high, it could kill someone." Craig shrugged. "If someone was unlucky enough to fall off of this thing, they'd probably die before they got down there." _

"_Unlucky? Anyone standing on the edge would be ready to fall off. They'd enjoy it," Alex said. _

"_Yeah. But like, if I fell off now, then I'd probably die, and that's not what I would've wanted. Leaving Ellie again. Nope. Wouldn't do it." _

"_Hm." _

"I know where he is," said Sean. "He's on a building. Downtown."

Joey dropped the phone and went out to his car. He drove to Sean's as fast as he legally could and picked him up. Then, Sean said that he needed to pick up Alex, because she was the one that found the building in the first place. Sean knew that Alex was still pissed off at Craig because he was friends with Jay, but being mad at him wouldn't mean letting him fall off of a building.

Alex led them to the building downtown, and they went up to the roof. Sure enough, they saw Craig sitting on the very edge of the building, holding onto a long, metal pole on one of the corners. He was looking down at the street below.

"Craig!" Sean shouted. Craig didn't turn around. But he did, however, stand up and start walking along the edge. "Craig! Get down!"

"Why? What's gonna happen if I do? Are you gonna put me back in the psych ward at the hospital? I'm sick of you people!"

"Craig, come on! We can talk about this!" Sean yelled.

"I don't want to talk about this!"

Suddenly, Craig lost his balance and his foot slipped. Alex screamed and Sean ran over to the edge. He was almost afraid to look and see if Craig had fallen, but fortunately, he was still hanging on to the building. Sean grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

"You okay?" he asked. Craig nodded silently. He sat down on the other side of the edge. He rested his head on his knees and Sean sat down next to him. "God, that was scary," Sean muttered. Craig still didn't say anything. He looked over at Alex and Joey, who were talking quietly on the other side of the roof.

He decided to talk to Sean, and they did, for about an hour, until they ran out of things to talk about and Craig said that he'd go home now. Everyone left, and Craig got into his own car. He said that he'd take Alex home, and Alex hesitantly agreed. She got into the black BMW, and Craig started the car. When he pulled up in front of Alex's small house that she shared with her mom and her mom's flavor-of-the-week, they sat in the car for a minute.

"Thanks for driving me here. You didn't have to," Alex said quietly.

"No, it's fine. I needed the time to think," Craig said.

"Oh. Well...thanks. And, just to let you know, I'm not mad at you anymore. That's a stupid thing to be mad at you for. I mean, I shouldn't control who you're friends with."

"Alex, it's okay. Really."

"Well, thanks for the ride. Um...I should probably go." Another unexpected occurrence happened then. Alex leaned over and kissed Craig quickly. Then, she got out of the car and ran up to the front door.

Then, Craig drove home slowly, dreading the moment he would walk in the door and have to face Joey.

When he did, it was almost worse than he'd expected. Joey had made Angela leave the room, which kind of predicted a huge eruption. Joey told Craig to sit down. Craig did as Joey told him and sat down in the chair. Then, Joey started yelling at him like crazy. Craig looked at his hands while Joey was doing this. He'd never experienced Joey being this upset at him. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Joey shouted.

Craig hesitated for a second, and then slowly looked up at Joey. Joey's heart sank when he saw Craig's face for the first time in hours. His dark eyes looked up at him sadly and he reminded Joey of a puppy with no home that was in an animal shelter. It was then that Joey knew he had done something wrong. Joey was immediately regretful of everything he'd just said. He walked over to the couch and sat down, and Craig stood and ran up to his room. Things in the house were tense for a few more hours. Caitlin got home and noticed everything was quiet. "Joey...is everything okay?" she asked.

"No," Joey answered. "Craig's upset right now. Angie won't come out of her room, and...I feel like shit."

"What happened?" Caitlin said, sitting down on the couch next to Joey.

"Well, when I got home from talking to Craig's therapist, he wasn't here, and Angie was all alone. I asked her where he was and she said she didn't know, but he wasn't coming back. So I called Sean, and then he called Alex, and we went downtown. Craig was sitting on the edge of a building, and then he slipped and fell. Finally, he came home, and I don't know why, but I started yelling at him. And then he looked up at me, and that made me feel terrible for yelling at him. Afterward, he went upstairs and hasn't been out since."

"Okay, I'm gonna take Angela, and we're gonna go over to Spike's until you and Craig can smooth things over. I don't want her here when you two argue, 'cause you two...you're very bad about being nice to each other lately." Caitlin went up to Angela's room and retrieved her. She saw Craig's door was open a little bit, so she pushed it open a little more and peered inside. Craig was laying on his bed, facing away from the door. His whole body was shaking. Caitlin wasn't sure what Joey had said, but it must have really upset Craig if he was crying now. But the scene broke her heart too much, and she wasn't brave enough to go into the room and find out what Joey might have said to him. So, she led Angela downstairs and took her to Spike's, leaving Craig and Joey alone.

Joey sat on the couch in silence, the words that he had said to Craig still burning through him. But the way Craig had just sat there and tolerated it was even more unbearable. It would've made him feel a little better if Craig had stood up and hit him or retorted or reacted in some way other than just sitting there and taking it. And when Craig had looked up at him, he thought his heart was going to implode. Craig didn't have to say anything to break Joey's heart, because Joey had broken his own. He was mad at himself now, and there was nothing he could do to fix it. Craig would probably never forgive him as he had so many times in the past. Because usually, Joey would yell at Craig, Craig would either yell back or hit him, and then they'd both keep arguing for a few more minutes and Craig would either retreat to his room or to the garage. This time was different. There was no Craig yelling back. It was just silence. And that was worse than anything Craig had ever done to him.

"_What have I ever done to deserve a stepson as reckless and stupid as you?" _ The words ran through his head. _"I don't know why I even try to take care of you! You're useless!"_ Maybe Craig didn't say anything because he had nothing to say at all. Joey probably made him believe that this was true. He didn't really mean any of it. He loved Craig and he wanted to take care of him. He was smart and funny, but, yes, sometimes he could be a little bit of dingbat. But, nonetheless, Joey would rather have Craig in his possession than in his real father's. There wasn't really much excuse for what he said to Craig, but he wanted to fix it.

He sat on the couch for another hour or so, until he worked up the courage to go upstairs to Craig's room. He pushed the door open and saw that Craig was asleep on his bed. He stood in the doorway, as still as he could, and watched as Craig turned over onto his side. Joey walked over to the side of Craig's bed. He looked at Craig's face, and saw that his skin was pale. Craig shivered and Joey put his hand on Craig's skin. It was cold. Joey looked over at the window, which was wide open. He walked over and closed it. He went back to Craig's bedside. Joey ran his hand through Craig's hair. Craig sighed and opened his eyes a little. He saw Joey and turned over onto his other side.

"Craig..." Joey said. Craig said nothing. Joey sat down on the bed. "I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, and this is probably the last thing that you're going to believe, but...I'm sorry. What I said wasn't fair to you, and...it was stupid."

"Just like me," Craig muttered. The words tore at Joey's heart. "It was a stupid, reckless, useless thing to say. Just like me, right?"

"No, Craig. You're not stupid or reckless or useless. You mean a lot to me." Craig didn't say anything. He refused to even talk to Joey now. Joey decided to give Craig some more time and went back to his own room.

The phone rang and Joey answered it. It was Caitlin. "Have you talked to him yet?"

"Yeah, for about a minute. I can't even talk to him anymore. He makes me feel like crap."

"_He_ makes you feel like crap? Excuse me, I believe it was _you_ that was yelling at _him_."

"I know. But...you should've seen the way he looked at me. It was like...I felt like his father."

"Joey, you haven't hit him in...a really long time. I mean, it was months ago, and he forgave you for that. You didn't actually beat him. Don't feel like that."

"It's kind of hard to resist. Listen, I'm gonna go see if I can talk to him again. This probably isn't gonna be over tonight, so..."

"I'll just stay here with Angela. Okay?"

"Okay." Caitlin hung up. Joey went back into Craig's room.

"Craig?" Joey said quietly. Craig was not in his bed. Joey turned and looked inside the closet. No Craig.

"Craig?" he shouted. He ran downstairs and sighed with relief. Craig was standing at the bottom of the stairs, holding the cat. Craig looked at the floor and cleared his throat. Joey walked past him and Craig went slowly up the stairs.

He watched as Craig descended into his bedroom and closed the door quietly behind him. Joey went over to the couch again and sat down. So much for talking to Craig. "I hate myself," Joey whispered. He slowly fell asleep on the couch and slept peacefully for a long while.

About three hours later, Joey opened his eyes. He looked at the clock. 8:04. Standing up from the couch, Joey went over to the kitchen and got some water.

For the last time that night, Joey was about to attempt to talk to Craig. He walked the long stairway to Craig's room and opened the door. Craig was lying on the bed, and whether or not he was asleep was a mystery to Joey. The cat was curled up on the small of Craig's back. Joey sat down on the bed and stroked the cat's fur. Craig moaned and Joey looked at him pityingly. Craig moved his hand to his head. Joey regretted not taking him to the doctor, but he was going to see if the headaches would go away.

Craig didn't even seem to acknowledge Joey's presence. He must've been sleeping. Joey picked the cat up and set him on the floor. He turned Craig over onto his back and looked down at him. With the light from the hall, Joey could tell that Craig hadn't exactly been happy for the last few hours. Joey must've really broken his heart. Everything that Joey had tried to convince Craig of was gone now. Every word of encouragement and caring that he'd ever put into him was gone.

Craig coughed weakly and opened his eyes a little bit. He saw Joey, but this time, he didn't move. He sat right there and gave another powerless cough. His eyes closed slowly, and he looked as though he were dead.

"I'm sorry," Joey whispered. "I really am. If you would've actually fallen...I would've jumped, too."

"Joey..." Craig droned. His voice was dry and raspy. He closed his eyes again.

"Craig?" Joey said.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even been up there. I'm sorry."

"No, Craig. I shouldn't have yelled at you." Craig's eyes opened a little more.

"I'm trying. Really. I am. I'm trying in school, and I'm trying to take my meds...for you. And I'm taking the headaches so that you'll be happy, but..."

"It's okay. It's okay. We're gonna get the meds switched."

"Please. They hurt so bad, and..." Craig gave another loud moan. Joey put his hand on Craig's head.

"Craig, you don't have to take the meds if they're gonna give you headaches. We still have some of the old ones, so...you can take those until we get this sorted out with the doctor, okay?" Craig nodded.

He sighed in relief as the pain passed. He leaned up and wrapped his arms around Joey. Joey was surprised Craig would forgive him at all. After everything he'd done to him—hitting him, yelling at him, putting him in a psychiatric ward for three-and-a-half weeks, lying to him—Craig was the most forgiving person in the world. But really, what else could he do? He wouldn't live in the house with Joey after all the nice things he'd done for him. He got him out of his father's house, let him move in, bought back his guitar, got him help for his illness, and paid for his meds. He'd done a lot of things for him, and Craig understood that. But when they fought, Craig thought about the bad things...only. And he used it against him.

Somehow, right now, Joey knew that everything would be right for a little while. Even if it were just a few days.

Joey pulled away softly and looked into Craig's eyes. "I promise you. I'll never yell at you again," he said firmly. Craig looked back at Joey and smiled sadly.

"Okay," Craig said quietly. He sat against the back of the bed, and Joey sat up on the bed.

"Sean told me about Ashley," Joey said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well...because...we've been over for almost two months, now. And, to me, that's...over. And, honestly, I didn't want her to go. But it's not really something I could prevent. She doesn't love me, and there's nothing I can do about that."

"Sean also told me that Ellie got an e-mail from Ashley that said that she regrets everything she ever said to you and she's sorry for hurting you."

"She's not sorry. She just wants Ellie to pick her over me."

"So you're fighting over Ellie now?"

"Maybe." Craig looked up and Joey and smiled mischievously.

"Isn't that someone you and Sean should be fighting over?" Joey asked.

"Yes. But Ellie's kind of mad at Ashley right now. She doesn't agree with anything she does."

"Jimmy called. Him, Spinner, Ellie, Sean, Marco and Paige are going to the movies and they want to know if you wanted to go."

"Movies...fine. I suppose. I should probably get up now." Craig rolled off of the bed and put his jacket on. He found his shoes and put them on. Rummaging around on the floor for a minute, he found his cell phone and put it in his pocket. "Um...I'm gonna go now. I'll be home around eleven or something...okay?" Joey nodded.

"Bye, Joey." Craig picked up his keys and left the room. He went to his car and left for the movie theatre. About halfway there, he called Jimmy's cell.

"Hello?" Jimmy said.

"Jimmy. It's Craig."

"Oh, hey, man. What's up? You coming?"

"Yeah, I'm...almost there."

"Okay, we're all outside. The movie doesn't start for another half-hour, so..."

"Okay, I'll be there. Later." Craig hung up and turned a few more corners. He saw a familiar group of people sitting outside the movie theatre. He stopped the car and got out.

"Craig!" Marco and Paige said happily as Craig walked toward them.

"What's up?" said Craig.

"Nothing much," said Marco. "We've all just been sitting here talking about random things."

"Like what?"

"Anything that pops into anyone's head," Sean answered. "Like, two minutes ago, Spinner said, 'I wonder how they make plastic.' The entire time, we were talking about MI. I mean.."

"That's pretty random, Spin," Craig said. Spinner laughed.

"So...how're things at home?" Ellie asked. Craig looked at her and thought for a second.

"Not that great. I actually spent the last...four hours in my room. Alone. And, it was pretty boring."

"What were you doing?" Jimmy inquired.

"Half-sleeping. Nothing else to do."

"Well...why didn't you go do something downstairs or something?" said Marco.

"Because Joey was pissed off at me, and I was pissed off at him. And Caitlin and Angie left, so..."

"Why were you both pissed off?" Paige said.

"Because...Joey likes yelling at me, and...I don't know."

"You do know. Why was he yelling at you?"

"I was somewhere I wasn't supposed to be, and...he found out and I almost fell off."

"Was it like...a bridge or a building or something?" asked Marco.

"Yeah, a building. And...Joey was really, really, really mad, and he yelled at me for about five minutes. I didn't say anything back, and that really irritated him. Then he was like, 'Look at me when I am talking to you!' and then I looked up and I must've looked pretty pathetic because he stopped talking and sat down. Then, I went up to my room and didn't come out until he told me that Jimmy called."

"How did you look at him?" Craig bowed his head and slowly brought it up, looking up at them the same way that he looked at Joey.

"Aww!" everyone said at the same time. Craig laughed, but inside, it hurt to have to think about what had happened earlier that day. But he didn't want to act like anything was wrong; he hated people worrying about him.

They talked for twenty more minutes, and then went inside. Halfway through the movie, Craig felt his cell phone vibrate. He looked at the lit up screen. The name 'Jay' shown brightly across the plastic. He waited for a minute before getting up and saying, "I'll be right back." Nobody looked up, so he kept going. He hurried out and dialed Jay's number back.

"Jay. What did you want?" he asked.

"Where are you?" said Jay quickly.

"I'm at the movie theater...why?"

"I need to show you something."

"Okay..."

"Remember that old house that we went to that one day? When you got the cat?"

"Yeah."

"Meet me there in ten minutes." Jay hung up and Craig put his cell phone back in his pocket. Could he really just ditch his friends in a movie theater? Leave them behind? Go against their trust? Of course he could. Craig walked out of the theater casually and went to his car. He had a little trouble remembering where the old house was, but he finally found it. Jay was parked outside the house in his car. He got out when he saw Craig pull up and Craig got out.

"So," Craig said, leaning up against the door. "What did you want to show me?"

Jay led Craig inside the house. It didn't smell as bad anymore, but the bathroom sink was still filled with dark brown water.

There was actually a light in one of the bedrooms. Craig followed Jay into the room, where there were four others sitting on the floor. An odd smell filled the air. They were smoking pot. Not that it was illegal or anything, but Joey told him not to smoke it. A young, blonde girl handed Jay a joint. After a hit off of it, he handed it to Craig, who stared at it, contemplating whether or not to smoke it. A second later, he put it up to his lips and inhaled.

A/N: WAAAAAAAAHA! I HAVE FINISHED! THIS CHAPTER, ANYWAY...IT TOOK ME FREAKIN' FOREVER! TOTALLY THANKS TO KIKI, WHO GAVE ME...WHAT...THE IDEAS FOR THE FIRST 9,000 WORDS FOR THIS ONE? DON'T WORRY, I'VE BEEN COMING UP WITH A FEW IDEAS OF MY OWN...LALALA. HOLY CRAP! CRAIG'S DOING DRUGS! I KNOW, RIGHT? JUST HORRIBLE...DON'T WORRY, CRASH-LOVERS...SHE'LL BE BACK...OR WILL SHE:GASP:. YOU KNOW THE DRILL: READ, REVIEW, GET ON WITH YOUR LIFE.


	18. Part 14: The Edge of Seventeen

**Part 14: The Edge of Seventeen **

**A/N: Hello, ALL! Yes, yes, I know...it took me FOREVER to update. Kind of gives you the impression that I stopped writing...I know, I'm horrible. And then, when you open your email, and it says, "Update", you cry in joy and click on the link to read the new chapter. Hahaha! Yes, I know the way you all are. **

**ANYWAY, NOTES TO REVIEWERS/FRIENDSES:**

**KIKI: Yes, yes. I'm a very slow writer. Just kidding. I tend to write this very fast, but I'm always doing some retarded editing, and...well, I don't know...You were so right about that whole "When in doubt, write about his dead daddy". LOL. **

**TRINITY: Yeah, I saw Venus. And, soon, I'll see...the episode the comes after Venus...and stuff...I don't know. I started the chapter before I watched Venus, and then I finished it after I watched it. Um...I'm pretty sure pot's legal in Canada...last I heard, anyway. Yes, more Craig dreams...yes.**

**CRASHETBURN: Hm. Not much to say to you, really. But don't worry, that's not a bad thing. Yeah, the producers Degrassi are all like, "Oh, well, Craig should be with Manny, make it intense, blah blah blah blah blah." Somehow, I think that Cralex would be better to make it 'intense' because...well, that's just the way I think. **

**ONTO THE STORY! WAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

Craig returned home late from the old house. Joey wasn't up, and that was a good thing...for now. He knew Joey wasn't asleep; he never was when Craig went out with his friends, and now he was home late, and that wasn't going to end good. Nonetheless, Craig went up to his room and quietly closed the door.

He took his shoes and jacket off and crawled into bed. Now, he was tired, and he would deal with Joey in the morning. He was sure that Joey would deal with him in the morning as well, and he was not prepared with a story to get him out of the trouble he'd gotten himself into. His friends were obviously getting irritated with him because he was always hanging out with Jay. He ran off from the movie theater and got high with him, and he was sure that they weren't going to back up his story now.

The next morning, Craig woke up and took a shower. He was still putting off going downstairs and lying to Joey. But when the water turned cold, he had no choice. He got dressed and went downstairs to the kitchen, where Joey was sitting, sipping coffee. Joey was quiet for a few minutes before looking up from his newspaper.

"Why'd you get home so late? You said you'd be home by eleven." The dreaded question.

"We stayed out later than we thought we were, and we lost track of time," Craig said quietly. "Sorry. It won't happen again."

"Marco and Paige called and asked if you were here. It was 10:58 then. They said you left the movie theater. Where'd you go?" Craig stared at Joey, searching for an answer.

"I went to go get some coffee. At the Dot."

"Why would you leave the movie theater to go get coffee?"

"Because I felt like having coffee! I was cold!" It wasn't a total lie; Craig did stop at the Dot after he'd left the old house to get coffee.

"You hate coffee."

"I know I hate coffee!"

"Then why do you drink it?"

"Because it's warm." Joey seemed to have dropped the conversation about Craig being home late, and now he was just asking about coffee.

He hoped that Joey wouldn't find out about him getting high...and then driving. But that's what the coffee was for. Craig was lucky that the Dot was open late that night.

"So, uh...when are Caitlin and Angela coming back?" Craig asked a few minutes later.

"Soon. I should probably call." Joey picked up the phone and called Caitlin at Spike's. He talked to her for a while, and then hung up. "She'll be here in an hour or so." Craig nodded and sat at the table silently.

A/N: HAHA! THE SHORTEST CHAPTER EVER! Okay, all, review! DO IT! But first, follow the arrows! DO WHAT THE ARROWS TELL YOU! (Actually, they're V's, but who cares?)

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Just kidding. Hell, I had you all worried there for a second. THE CHAPTER GOES ON!

At School, Thursday

Ellie Nash was extremely annoyed with Ashley Kerwin. She said she was going to London to have a new life, and then she comes and returns to her old one. Oh, and of course, she keeps hurting innocent Craig. Okay, maybe not-so-innocent Craig, but he was for the most part.

As she led her through the halls of Degrassi, Ellie didn't speak. She wanted to say something about Craig, but she wanted Ashley to see him first. They went into the cafeteria. Spinner, Jimmy, Paige, Hazel, and Sean were all sitting at a table. "Where's Craig?" Ashley asked. Sean stood up and walked out of the cafeteria with them.

"He's with Jay," Sean said coolly.

"What's he doing with Jay?" Ashley said.

"Getting high. He's been doing it for almost a week now. Every day for the last week."

"Have you been...?"

"No. I asked Jay about it. He said that Craig acts pretty messed up when he gets high, but it's funny to watch."

"Why don't you try and stop him? Craig has a car now, he...he could hurt himself." Ashley whispered.

"Yeah. But...he gets coffee. It brings him out of his high and he gets home okay, so...I don't know."

"Where is he now?"

"An old house a few blocks away. We can't go there now, though. Just wait until he comes back; they always do. They're in Jay's car. Jay doesn't get as messed up. Just wait." They went back into the cafeteria and sat at the table.

Later, in class, Ashley kept glancing over at Craig, who was sitting on the other side of the room, trying to pay attention, but seemed distracted. He was leaning his head on his hand and staring at the board.

"Craig?" Mr. Armstrong said. Craig looked at him.

"What?" he said quickly.

"Just making sure you're paying attention." Mr. Armstrong continued teaching. Craig wished that Mr. Armstrong was like Mr. Simpson, who didn't 'just made sure you were paying attention'.

Forty-five minutes later, Craig was free from class and school and went home. He promised to meet Ellie, Sean, Hazel, and Paige at the Dot at around four. When Craig got home, Caitlin was sitting on the couch watching TV. He sat down next to her, and leaned his head on her shoulder. "No falling asleep," Caitlin said. They continued to watch TV and Craig didn't fall asleep.

Craig looked up at the clock and got up. "I gotta go. I'm meeting some friends at the Dot. Um...I'll be back later. I have my phone and stuff, so...yeah. Bye, Caitlin."

"Bye."

Craig drove to the Dot and was having fun talking to Ellie and Sean when the jingle of a bell from the door made Sean glance up at the door and see Paige and Hazel walk in. She sat down at the table, and then quickly said, "I'm gonna go get something to drink."

"Get me something, too," Hazel said.

"Me, too," Ellie added.

Paige nodded.

She stood up and the four continued talking.

Spinner handed Paige three drinks from behind the counter. She bumped into someone and looked up. "What?" Paige said, seeing Ashley.

"I was gonna talk to Craig," Ashley said quietly.

"Well, Craig doesn't want to talk to you," Paige snapped.

"How do you know?" Ashley said back.

"Look at him," Paige said. "He's talking to his friends. He's happy. Just...leave him alone." Ashley stared after Paige as she sat down with Craig, Sean, Ellie, and Hazel, and handed her girlfriends their drinks.

Ashley watched them mumble amongst themselves for a minute. Craig turned around and looked at Ashley. He turned around and ran his hand through his hair. He kept on talking for a few minutes and then heard Ashley leave. His heart sank and he felt bad for ignoring her. Craig stood up and followed her out of the café. It was pouring down rain and it was cold.

"Ash!" he shouted. Ashley stopped on the sidewalk. She turned around and looked at him.

"What? Go back inside and talk to your friends and be happy!"

"I'm never happy! Just...come back! I wanna talk to you."

"You already are."

"Don't make this harder than it already is for me." Ashley stared at him for a second before walking up to him. "Here. Sit in the car and we'll talk."

"You sure you want me in your car? I mean, it's—"

"Ashley. Get in the car." Ashley shrugged and opened the door. She got in the passenger seat. Craig got in the driver's seat and closed the door.

"So."

"So."

"Why'd you come back?" Craig asked.

"Because I didn't want to live in London. I like Toronto better."

"I like Toronto, too, but...I don't know. I like BC."

"Everyone likes BC."

"I wanna talk about us."

"Me, too. Craig, listen, when I told you that I didn't love you anymore...that was a huge lie. I didn't know what I was thinking. I felt it at the time, but...now, I know that it was the biggest mistake that I've ever made."

"Okay, Ash, we're back at Square One. First, there was Craig and then there was Ash. And then, there was Craig and Ash. And now...there's Craig, and then there's Ash."

"Craig...I want us to be back together."

"But, Ash...I'm trying to...me and Alex were..."

"Alex?"

"Yeah, Alex..."

"Alex Nunez? You and Alex? That's just...I thought..." Ashley looked out the tinted window.

"Ashley. Don't. Me and Alex haven't done anything yet. We're on the verge of it. She's...got problems...at home. And she was the only one who wanted to talk to me while you were off with Spinner."

"Craig, I'm sorry--"

"Stop it! I don't want to hear you right now! Listen...I know me cheating on you hurt you. I know that you felt horrible. So did I. But after you dumped me...twice...it's like...you've hurt me more than I've ever hurt you. What have I done to Alex? Nothing. And she's done nothing to me. And maybe that's better for both of us. But right now I need time to think. So just...go home. It's raining, and I'm not leaving my friends."

"You've already left your friends. Drugs, Craig? Why? Why would you do drugs?" Craig was taken aback.

"Who's been feeding you this crap?" he said quietly.

"Ellie and Sean told me. You can't hide from it. I know what you're doing."

Ashley sighed and shook her head. She got out of the car, Craig right behind her, and she ran down the street. Stopping halfway down, she yelled something at Craig and Craig yelled back and went inside the café.

"That didn't sound good," Paige said.

"Nope. She's not happy. Oh, well. Who cares."

"Nobody."

"Exactly. So, let's not worry about it." Paige nodded and they continued with the conversation they'd been having.

Craig's head started hurting again. He'd assured Joey that the headaches had faded...they'd just gotten worse. He stopped complaining about them after a week of having to deal with them. "They're gone," he'd told Joey days before. Joey cancelled the trip to the doctor's for a medication change.

"Craig, are you okay?" Hazel asked. Everyone's attention turned to Craig, who was resting his head on his hand, wincing in pain. Craig nodded but then another wave of pain overcame him and he had a sharp intake of breath.

"Spinner! Can we get some water over here?" Ellie called to Spinner, who was waiting another table. He looked over at Ellie, and then at Craig, who was trying to get through his headache. He dropped the order sheets on the table and jogged to the back of the counter and got a cold glass of water. Spinner took it to their table and gave it to Craig.

"I'm fine..." Craig mumbled, looking down at the table.

"You're not fine!" Paige shouted. "Drink this!" Everyone in the Dot was now staring in their direction as the seventeen-year-old went through a reoccuring headache.

Craig lifted his head up and shakily grasped the glass of water. He put it up to his mouth, took a small sip, and then quickly set it back down on the table.

"I think you should go home," Ellie said calmly. She put her hand on Craig's shoulder, and he looked up at her. They looked at each other for a second, and then Craig nodded.

Spinner came back from the other table and said, "I just got off the phone with Caitlin. She said that he should probably lay down for a while, so..."

"So we need someone to drive him home, and someone to follow so that we have a ride back."

"I can drive home myself," Craig said quickly.

"No. You're in no condition to drive," said Sean.

"Yeah, I am."

"No, you're not." Craig sighed defiantly and scoffed.

"Fine."

"I have Dylan's car, so I can follow. We need someone to drive his car." The four looked at each other, each wanting desperately to be the one to drive Craig's car.

"Are one of you retards going to drive me home or do I seriously have to do it myself?" Craig said irritably.

"I'll do it," Sean said. Hazel and Ellie sighed. Craig handed Sean his keys; he was the only one he could really trust, anyway.

They all left, Hazel with Paige, and Ellie with Sean and Craig. Sean watched Craig carefully as he drove. Craig was looking out the window, blankly, but somehow, he looked sad. A kind of...lost sort of look. When he pulled up to Craig's house, he got out of the car and carefully closed the door. Caitlin appeared at the front door, meeting Craig as he got there.

She thanked Sean for making sure that he got home safe, and then she closed the door and took Craig upstairs. After he was in bed, she turned the radio on low so that it wasn't completely quiet--he couldn't sleep with it like that anymore.

Craig yawned and fell asleep. His headache had long since faded--it actually had in the car--but he liked to sleep. He didn't get headaches when he slept.

Joey got home an hour after Craig did. He talked with Caitlin about what happened at the Dot, and he went upstairs to Craig's door and peered inside. Craig was sleeping peacefully on his bed. He looked comfortable, and Joey did not want to disturb him.

He went back downstairs to talk with Caitlin. They talked for a long time, and later on, Angela's friend's mom dropped her off at the house, and she ran inside. "Hi, Daddy! Hi, Caitlin!" she said. She hopped on the couch between them and looked at them.

Joey heard footsteps coming from the stairs. He looked over and saw a very tired Craig. "Hey, buddy. How're you feeling?" Joey said coolly. Craig shrugged.

"Better," he said.

"I heard that Sean drove you home."

"Huh...? Oh, yeah...I guess he did..."

"You guess he did?"

"Sorry...my memory's a little messed up. I was...really tired."

"You were having a headache."

"No, I was tired."

"Craig!"

"What?"

"Why didn't you just tell me that you were still having headaches? I would've done something about it," Joey said. Craig looked at him, still groggy.

"They went away for a while," Craig lied.

"No, they didn't. Spinner said that you've been having them for three weeks now."

"Spinner's a liar! Look--he got Jimmy shot and almost killed! Why would you believe someone like that?"

"Because he knows what he's saying. He wouldn't lie about this. You would." Craig was instantly offended and hurt. He didn't know that Joey thought of him as dishonest, and he didn't want him to think of him like that.

"Craig, I'm sorry," Joey said quickly. "It's just that...after you lied about your medication..." Craig was obviously upset now, and he was ignoring Joey.

Joey put his arm around Craig's shoulder and pulled him closer to him. Craig's body was still, but he didn't protest when Joey touched him. He felt a lot better after a while, but wasn't going to admit that he had been having headaches for almost a month. The phone started ringing and Caitlin got up to answer it.

"Craig, it's for you," Caitlin said, handing him the phone.

"Hello?" Craig said.

"Craig." It was Alex.

"Alex, what's up?"

"My mom and her boyfriend got here a few minutes ago, and...they kicked me out. I need someone to talk to," Alex said.

"Yeah. Okay. Where are you now?" Craig asked.

"I'm...at a phone booth outside the 7-11 on Bay Street."

"I'll be there in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay. Bye." Craig hung up and tossed Joey the phone.

"I have to go find Alex. Her mom and her boyfriend kicked her out. I'll be back later," he said. Craig ran upstairs to get his jacket, shoes, and keys, and then ran out the door.

He found Alex standing inside the phone booth in front of 7-11, with a backpack that was probably filled with clothes and other things. He rolled the window down and told her to get into the car. She complied, tossed her backpack in the backseat,d and looked at the floorboard.

"I'm sorry I made you come out here to get me. I know you've got better things to do than pick up girls that get kicked out by their mom and evil mom's boyfriend," Alex said quietly. Craig noticed that her hair and her clothes were both soaking wet. She must've walked a while to get there.

"No, not really. I was with Sean, Ellie, Paige, and Hazel at the Dot, but then I had to leave. Health issues," Craig explained. Alex nodded. "You look cold." Craig took his favorite leather jacket off, something he had only done for Angela, and handed it to Alex. She put it on over her shoulders and was filled with both physical and emotional warmth; someone actually cared about her. She blushed and Craig turned the heat up.

He drove off and they stopped in an empty parking lot.

"So why'd you get kicked out?" Craig asked.

"My mom said she couldn't deal with me anymore," Alex answered. "She said that if I was so strong, then I could go make it on my own."

"That's...retarded. You can stay with me, if you want." Alex glanced up at Craig, with surprise and excitement.

"Seriously? You'd let me stay with you?" she said.

"Yeah. Joey and Caitlin won't mind." Alex smiled.

"Thanks, Craig."

"No problem." Alex leaned forward and kissed Craig, who kissed back. "This isn't comfortable." Alex reclined her seat and Craig crawled to her side of the car. They proceeded to make out in the car. That is, until there was a knock on the window. Craig and Alex pulled apart and looked up. Sean.

"Sean?" Craig said. Sean was leaning up against the car next to them, laughing. Craig went back to the driver's seat, started the car, and rolled down the window.

"You and Alex?" Sean asked. "I didn't know you two were together!"

"We've been together for ten minutes. What're you doing here?" Craig demanded.

"I had to go to the store to get something for Ellie, and then I saw your car, so I decided to stop and see if you were here...lo and behold--you both were!" said Sean.

"Okay, well, we have to go. Alex's mom kicked her out, and she's staying with me for a while."

"I'll talk to you later," Sean responded. He turned the other direction and walked home. Craig pulled out of the parking lot and drove home.

He pulled up to the house and they got out of the car, Alex carrying her backpack with her.

Craig entered the house with Alex right behind him. He took her up to his room and Alex took off Craig's jacket and set it on the bed. Alex picked a CD case up off the nightstand. "The Ramones?" she said. It was the Ramones, _Animal Boy._

"You like 'em?" Craig asked.

"I'm more into the whole rap-thing, but if you like them, that's cool. I've never heard any of their music." Craig stared at her.

"You've never listened to their music?" he said blankly. Alex shrugged and shook her head. Craig sighed. He took the CD out of Alex's hands and put it in the stereo. Craig turned it to number seven.

Alex bobbed her head to the music.

"Not bad. Put it on repeat."

_You've got to pick up the pieces  
C'mon, sort your trash  
You better pull yourself back together  
Maybe you've got too much cash  
Better call, call the law  
When you gonna turn yourself in? Yeah  
You're a politician  
Don't become one of Hitler's children _

Bonzo goes to bitburg then goes out for a cup of tea  
As I watched it on TV somehow it really bothered me  
Drank in all the bars in town for an extended foreign policy  
Pick up the pieces

My brain is hanging upside down  
I need something to slow me down

Shouldn't wish you happiness, wish her the very best  
Fifty thousand dollar dress  
Shaking hands with your highness  
See through you like cellophane  
You watch the world complain, but you do it anyway  
Who am I, am I to say

Bonzo goes to bitburg then goes out for a cup of tea  
As I watched it on TV somehow it really bothered me  
Drank in all the bars in town for an extended foreign policy  
Pick up the pieces

My brain is hanging upside down  
I need something to slow me down

If there's one thing that makes me sick  
It's when someone tries to hide behind politics  
I wish that time could go by fast  
Somehow they manage to make it last

My brain is hanging upside down  
I need something to slow me down...

The two finally stopped listening to the song and Craig turned off the stereo. Alex curled up on Craig's bed and yawned. "I'm sleeping on your bed," Alex stated, pulling Craig's pillow under her head.

"I'll join you in a few hours," Craig said simply. "But not now. Now I have to go talk to Joey, and...do that weird, thanks-for-saving-my-life-thing. I don't know. I like talking to him. But you'll be fine sleeping, right?" Alex nodded. Craig shut off the light and went downstairs, leaving a tired, sleeping Alex in his room.

"Hey...Joey?" Craig muttered, noticing that the kitchen where Joey was sitting was all but full. Joey looked up tiredly and smiled softly. Craig was quiet for a second before speaking again. "Thanks." Joey nodded understandingly.

"I'm gonna go out for a while. Alex is upstairs sleeping...and, um...I'll be back later...or whenever."

"Okay," Joey said. Craig left and Joey listened to the sound of his car drive off. He was going to ask him something, but he didn't want to create tension right now.

Craig drove several blocks until he reached his destination--the cemetary. He parked the car and got out, carefully treading across the soft ground. He stopped at a headstone that he hadn't been ready to look at since the death--his father's. Craig knelt down on the wet grass and ran his fingers across the marble. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry." Craig couldn't bare to look at it anymore, and he turned away and looked over at his mother's.

He was there for about an hour when he heard a rustling in the bushes and he quickly turned around. In the night's dark shadows, he could barely tell who it was, but he recognized her instantly. It was...Paige.

Craig stood up quickly. "Uh...Paige..." he stammered.

"Craig," said Paige quickly. "It's okay. I'm not here to like...harass you or anything. Talk to you, but not harass."

"Okay. About what?" Craig asked. He stared at Paige for a second. He felt it starting to rain and looked up. Clouds covered the dark sky and and the wind blew.

"I wanted to talk...about you. I know you've probably done this a million times, but I've never actually had a real conversation with you. Really, we've almost never talked. Please?" Craig glanced at her before looking back toward his mother's headstone.

"Yeah. Um...we should probably go somewhere else. It's starting to rain, and...I don't want to get sick."

"Why didn't you wear your jacket? You know how the weather is here," said Paige.

"I didn't want to wake up Alex." Paige stared at Craig blankly.

"Alex?" she asked.

"Yeah, she uh...got kicked out, and...she's staying with me for a while."

"Oh. Anyway, yeah, we can go somewhere...how about to the infamous Dot?" Paige suggested.

"Okay," Craig said, shrugging. Craig followed Paige through the bushes and got into his car, while she got into Dylan's. They drove to the Dot, and got a table, which Spinner gladly waited.

"I'm so lucky that I get to work the night shift so I can see my friends here at weird times of the night!" Spinner said. Paige looked up at him for a moment, watching him as he talked to Craig. The two looked at Paige, but she didn't realize it until they were both saying, "Paige!" She snapped out of her trance and blushed furiously. Spinner and Craig laughed, and then Spinner went back behind the counter. He came back and set three drinks down on the table. "On me," he said. "Especially this one." He took a drink from the third glass.

"So...what is this? A date?" Spinner asked, sitting down at the end of the table.

"No, this is an is-gonna-be conversation. Paige stalked me and said she wanted to talk to me, so...yeah."

"Oh. Well, don't let me interrupt." Spinner sounded insulted. He stood up and left his drink on the table.

"Spinner!" Paige cried. "You can be included in the conversation. It's not about you. If it were, we wouldn't have come here." Spinner ran back to the table and sat down.

"So, what'd you want to talk to me about?" Craig asked.

"Um...you know...your headache earlier...I was wondering, like...exactly...what are your headaches from?"

Craig thought for a second. "Joey is taking me to the doctor to find out exactly what they're from. Really, I don't know."

"Ellie said that it could be from your medication. You know, from switching them."

"It can't be."

"Why not?"

"Can you two keep a secret?" Spinner and Paige nodded. "It can't be from my meds, because I'm not taking them."

"Craig, you know it's not safe if you don't take your meds," Paige said calmly.

"I know. But...it makes me feel...just...I don't like taking them. They taste like crap."

"Like, literal crap or they just taste really bad?" Spinner asked. Craig stared at him for a few seconds. Craig's cell phone, which was sitting on the table, started ringing. Spinner picked it up and looked at the screen, but Craig snatched it from him quickly.

"Hello?" Craig said. "Yeah...fine, I'll be right there." He hung up. "Joey wants me home, so, uh...I'll see you guys at school tomorrow."

Paige and Spinner watched Craig leave. When Craig was out of the cafe, Spinner looked at Paige. "That wasn't Joey. The phone said 'Jay'. He's going off to get high."

"What do you want me to do about it? I don't want to get him in trouble."

"Fine. I'll do the right thing, then." Spinner pulled out his own cell phone and called Joey.

"Hello?"

"Joey? It's Spinner."

"Oh, hi, Spinner."

"Listen...um...didn't you say that Craig wasn't allowed to see Jay anymore?" Spinner asked.

"Yeah, why?" said Joey.

"Well, Paige, Craig, and I were all sitting here at the Dot. Craig's phone started ringing, and I picked it up. It said 'Jay'. Craig told us that you told him that he needed to go home."

"Do you know where they're meeting?"

"Yeah, there's this weird old house a few blocks away, and that's where they are."

"What are they doing there?" Joey asked. Spinner was quiet for a second.

"They're getting high." Spinner heard Joey sigh.

"Thanks for telling me, Spinner."

"No problem, Joey," Spinner said proudly. They hung up. Joey was glad that there was a tracking device on Craig's car. It had been there since it was first built, and it just...came with the car.

He went upstairs to his bedroom, where Caitlin was using her new laptop for work. Joey took it from her and minimized the window she was working in. He went to the website that the device was from and got the position for where Craig was.

Joey got into his car and drove around until he saw the black BMW parked in front of an old house. Joey got out of the car and saw that the front door to the house was open. He went inside and almost vomited. The smell was unbearable; he wondered why anyone would deliberately stay in the house for more than a minute.

He heard talking and laughing coming from the only room in the house with a light. Joey pushed the door open and saw several people in the room. Four were people he'd never seen before. Jay was sitting next to Craig on the bed.

Craig, who was holding the bottom of a bong with one hand and a lighter in the other. Craig looked up at Joey. His eyes widened and he froze for a second. He pushed the bong out of his grasp and tossed it at Jay. "Jason Hogart! Get that thing out of my face! I don't do drugs!" Craig shouted. Seeing the look on Joey's face, Craig glanced over at the other door, which led to another hallway, which led to the other exit to the house. He could escape this tension now.

He coughed a little and looked up at Joey again. Then, he got an idea. He grabbed Jay's hat and tossed it at Joey. Jay leapt and got his hat, while Craig went in the other direction toward the other door and ran down the other hallway. He was out of the house, out the side door. There was a hole in the fence. He had no time to start the car. Joey would catch him. Brilliant! He was amazed at how smart he was when he was higher than a kite. He crawled through the hole, which led to the neighbor's yard. He sat up against the fence and sighed. He looked through the fence and saw Joey get into the car and leave. Now he wondered how he was going to walk in the door at home without getting yelled at or being able to face Joey.

He was surprised when he got home to find that everyone was in bed. Quietly as possible, he went upstairs and closed the door to his room. Alex was asleep on the bed, still, only now she was wearing some of Caitlin's shorts and had no makeup on. Her hair was wet, and her earrings were laying on the nightstand. He took his shoes off and crawled into bed. Wrapping his right arm around Alex's waist, he slowly fell asleep.

A/N: HOLY CRAP! I AM DONE! THAT WAS HARD! I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYTHING, INCLUDING A TITLE OR ENOUGH DRAMA.


	19. Part 15: Another Brick in the Wall

Part 15: Another Brick In The Wall

A/N: Lalala! Guess what? I UPDATED! Heeheehee. I just got my Microsoft Word back, so...yeah. I was kind of having some technical difficulties, but NO LONGER! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHA! Um...yeah. So, let's get started with the story.

It had been two days since Joey had found Craig in an old house with Jay and some of his friends, smoking weed. Not a word had been spoken between the two. Craig couldn't look at Joey, and Joey couldn't look at Craig. It hurt Craig not to talk to Joey, but he couldn't get himself out of this problem.

He was about to talk to Joey, but looking up at him made him forget what he was about to say and he closed his mouth. Craig looked over at Alex, who raised her eyebrows and shrugged. She'd just gotten out of the shower and her hair was wet. Alex looked different without makeup and dry hair and earrings. But, nonetheless, she looked good.

Craig closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Joey and Caitlin were quiet when they talked, and Craig was starting to miss both of their voices. The only person that spoke openly and loudly was Angela, who had taken quite nicely to Alex.

Caitlin looked up at Craig, and then continued talking quietly to Joey. Craig desperately wanted to hear what they were saying. Alex pulled on Craig's arm, and they went upstairs so that they could get ready for school. Craig and Alex were simply comfortable getting dressed in front of each other. There was no "Don't look; I'm taking off my shirt". It was just, "Lalala. Let's get dressed."

They both went into the bathroom (or washroom, as y'all awesome-ass Canadians call it), and Alex put on her makeup and Craig combed his hair and brushed his teeth. When the two were done, they left the room and went downstairs. Craig skipped breakfast and they left for school.

Craig's car was the only place Craig ever really talked lately.

"I think they're scheming to get rid of me," Craig said, not taking his eyes off the road. "Scratch that. I know."  
"They're not gonna get rid of you, Craig. Calm down. I'm sure there's a...perfectly good explanation for why they're talking the way they have been," Alex said.

"No, no. They've done it before," said Craig. He turned a corner and kept going.

"Well, then it's not like they'd do it again. They're probably just trying to torment you." When Craig pulled up to the school, he and Alex got out of the car and walked up the steps to the building. Craig knew that Caitlin and Joey had reasons to "torment" him, but he didn't see why they'd bother. After a few minutes, when Craig and Alex were at Alex's locker, JT and Liberty approached them. Craig rolled his eyes; he was getting sick of these two.

"What?" Craig demanded, turning and facing them.

"Oh, nothing," JT said in mock innocence. "I was just wondering...why do they let people like you out of the madhouse?"

"Hey, JT," Craig said. "Just wondering—how is it that you and Liberty have fun having sex? It's not like she can feel anything! He wore an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weenie, yellow, little condom-ini..." JT was instantly insulted. He had hoped that Craig would have hit him or something so that he would be the one that would get suspended. Alex, however, laughed, until Liberty slapped her.

Craig heard it and looked over. He laughed with anticipation of what Alex would do now; she never backed down from anything. Alex pushed Liberty into a locker and started punching her repeatedly in the face. She seemed to have no care for the fact that Liberty was pregnant; all she wanted was revenge. Liberty's lip was swollen and bleeding. JT was afraid to step in, but he wanted to help her. Desperately. Finally, JT got some courage and pushed Alex. Alex turned. When JT saw the look in Alex's eyes, he backed away several feet. Suddenly, Alex threw JT to the floor. Craig wasn't about to stop her; JT and Liberty were harassing them. It was NOT the other way around.

Eventually, when the younger couple was battered, they walked away. Alex closed her locker and she and Craig walked off contently. That was just about the only good thing that happened in Craig's day.

During lunch, Alex's father came to the school and said that he was there to get her and that he now had legal custody of her. Her demeanor changed completely when her father walked in. He looked decent; T-shirt and jeans, short, brown hair. Alex stared at him for a second, and then jumped into his arms. She was happy now; no more problems. Except...Craig. Her father lived far away. How was she supposed to see her friends now? Obviously, she had to break up with Craig, but she didn't know how.

Her father had a new family now, but she figured that they were all decent people. And this also meant that she would lose her job at the movie theater...oh, well. She'd have to deal with that reality someway. And at least now, she might have a chance to go to university.

"Dad?" she said quietly. "I have to go talk to someone really quick. So...you'll meet me here after school and take me home with you?"

"Yes, Alex," her father said, smiling softly. "I'll meet you here after school." Now, Alex had to find Craig. She believed he was serving detention with Ms. Kwan for saying something about JT's mom.

She stopped at Ms. Kwan's room and walked in. "Craig, I'm moving!" Alex cried. She was ecstatic, to say the least.

"What? Where?" Craig asked, standing up.

"To Vancouver! With my dad!" Alex answered.

"Vancouver?"

"Yeah. I know. But...it's my dad. And he's gonna pay for me to go to university. And I get to live with a stable family. He has a room for me and everything! He doesn't have a new girlfriend every week, and I can finally be happy again!"

"That's great."

"This isn't the way I wanted it to happen...between us, I mean. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I have...a lot of stuff to sort out with Joey right now." Alex hugged Craig and ran out of the room.

However, Alex leaving was just one of Craig's latest problems.

When he got home, the house was quiet...more than it had been in the last few days. Joey and Caitlin were sitting in the kitchen, not speaking. Craig went up to his room silently and put his stuff on his bed.

He sat down and waited to hear something: a yell, a scream...a whisper would suffice. But he heard nothing. Deciding that he was pretty much waiting for nothing, he got up and turned on his stereo. He listened to Jimi Hendrix for the next forty minutes. There wasn't much of a reason for him to make noise, so he kept the volume down. Caitlin, whom he'd seen pass his room about fifteen minutes ago, passed again, holding two suitcases. Craig stood up immediately and left his room, rushing toward her. He caught her at the end of the stairs.

Caitlin looked at him sadly. "Where are you going?" Craig asked.

"I'm leaving," Caitlin answered.

"When are you coming back?"  
"I'm not." The words burned through Craig.

"Why?"

"You need Joey a lot more than I do right now. You need help, and I'm standing in the way of that."

"I don't need Joey. I'm seventeen now, Caitlin. I can take care of myself." Caitlin looked at him for a few moments.

"You need a lot more than Joey. You're doing drugs, and that's not helping you... Do you want me to tell you what I see when I look into your eyes?" she asked. Craig was silent. "I see a sad, frightened, pathetic little boy, too scared to face reality." Craig stared at her, shocked. Caitlin took her suitcases and left. Craig couldn't believe what she'd just said.

_Pathetic little boy?_ He was far from that. _Too scared to face reality_. Pshh. Craig was sure that this wasn't the case.

That was_ the_ single rudest thing that Caitlin had ever said to him in his life. Suddenly, Craig realized that Angela wasn't home.

"Where the hell is Angela?" he shouted. Joey slowly looked up at the clock, and, seeing what time it was, jumped up.

"Screw it, Joey! I'll go get her!" Craig grabbed his keys and ran out the door. Angie was staying after school that day. She was on the after-school cheerleading squad. Craig didn't really have much of an opinion on that, but sadly, he thought, Angela would soon turn into the old, stuck-up Paige. He didn't even want to think about that. Whatever. It was just Angie.

After picking up the very unhappy, very annoyed little girl, Craig went straight home and they went inside.

Days passed. Craig had no idea what he was going to do. He didn't talk to Joey. Joey didn't talk to him. Craig had skipped breakfast every day for a week now to avoid a conversation. He fortunately hadn't lost any weight; he knew that skipping meals didn't make you lose weight anyway.

On the fourth day of Caitlin's leaving, Craig had just gotten home from his job at the Dot, and the house was quiet. Angie must have been sleeping. Joey, however, was nowhere to be found. His car was parked in front of the house, but he wasn't up. Maybe he was in bed, too.

But, no. A few minutes later, Joey emerged from his bedroom. Maybe not even emerged—it was more like he swayed out. Craig instantly came to the sad conclusion—Joey was drunk. "C-Craig..." he mumbled. Craig watched him carefully. Joey stumbled into the wall and almost fell down the stairs. Craig caught him.

"Don't...don't...touch me..." Joey said.

"Joey, you were about to fall down the stairs. What was I supposed to do? Let you fall?" Craig said loudly.

"Y-yeah. You should've just...let me...fall to my death...Caitlin...doesn't..."  
"This is about Caitlin? God, Joey! Go to bed!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"Are you supposed to tell me what to do? You're not even in the state of mind to do that." Joey glared at him.

"What are you saying?" he shouted.

"That you're drunk!" Suddenly, Joey threw Craig into the wall. Craig was still for a minute, but then he stood up. He put his hand to the back of his head, where he'd collided with the wall. It ached badly. Joey pushed him back again, only this time, harder. Again, Craig stood up and looked at Joey. Now his arm hurt like hell. Joey stared at Craig for a second before collapsing on the floor. Craig sighed heavily and picked him up. He carried him to his bed and dropped him in. Then, he retreated to his own room. Slowly but surely, he fell asleep.

The next day, Craig was in the bathroom, looking at his arm. There was a large bruise near his elbow, and it hurt to touch it. He covered it up with his sweatshirt and left. Checking Joey's room to make sure he was asleep, he got Angela ready for school, and they both left.

"Craig?" Angie said.

"What?" Craig asked.

"What was all the noise coming from the hallway last night?" Craig looked at her.

"Um...I got home late, and uh...I guess that...I don't know." Angie watched Craig sadly for a second, and then got out of the car, waving at some of her friends.

Then, Craig headed for his own school. He didn't want to talk to anyone, but he talked to Jimmy during MI. Jimmy was pretty cool; he talked about basketball he had the day before, and this cool new trick on the wheelchair that Craig just _had_ to see when class was over.

When class was over, and Craig did watch this new thing Jimmy had mastered yesterday, he wasn't surprised; Jimmy had been on that thing for almost a year now.

"Pretty cool, Jims," Craig said flatly.

"You okay?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just tired."

"Maybe you should sleep more." Craig felt someone tapping on his shoulder and he turned. It was Mr. Simpson.

"Can I help you?" he said.

"Um, yeah, you can. Give this to Joey," Mr. Simpson answered. He handed Craig an envelope, and Craig stared at it. Mr. Simpson walked off and Craig sighed. He opened the envelope and read the piece of paper inside.

"Blah, blah, blah...'needs more effort...' blah, blah, blah... 'conference.' Conference?" Craig rolled his eyes and put the envelope in his pocket.

"I hate school."

Finally, the day was over. Craig went to his 'wonderful' job at the Dot washing dishes. He was fast at his job, too. And, he enjoyed working with Spinner. Sadly, he wanted to work all night so that he didn't have to go home again.

After his shift was over, he got in the car and slowly drove home. He prayed that Joey was either sleeping or sober. So, naturally, it was no surprise that to him that when he got home, Joey was stumbling around the house, drunk. Nothing ever went the way Craig wanted it to.

Angela was sitting on the couch, watching TV.

"Angie, what're you doing up? You need to go to bed."

"Don't tell my daughter what to do!" Joey cried. "She's my daughter! Not yours!"

"Well, God, Joey! I'm so sorry that you can't take care of her and I have to do it myself!" Craig shouted.

"I can take care of her!"

"No, you can't! Drunk people can't take care of their families! That's why Sean moved out! Come on, Angie, it's time for bed." Angie stood up.

"Don't listen to him!" Then, she sat back down.

"Joey! Knock it off!" said Craig. Joey walked toward Craig slowly and looked at him for a second. Craig glared at him. A second later, Joey had punched Craig so hard in the eye that he'd fallen onto the stairs. Craig took a moment to clear his head, then stood up and hit Joey, knocking him to the floor.

While Joey was down, Craig picked up Angie and took her out to the car. It was nine-thirty now, and Craig hoped that Emma was still up. He drove off with Angela, who was confused about the entire situation. Finally, they reached their destination. Craig turned on the light inside the car and checked his eye in the mirror. Bruised already.

The two got out of the car and Craig led her up to the house and knocked on the door. Spike answered.

"Craig...Angela...is everything okay?" Spike asked. Emma heard Spike talking and appeared next to her a minute later.

"Yeah, um...can Angie stay here tonight?" Craig said quietly.

"Yes, of course," said Spike. Emma looked at the ground, and then back up at Craig.

"Craig, you're bleeding."

Craig put his hand up to the side of his face. There was blood coming from the edge of his eye.

"Um, I know. Listen, thanks for letting her stay here." Craig turned and went toward his car.

"Where're you going?"

"I'm going home. I have to...go to bed. And do homework." Craig got in and left. Spike and Emma were both worried about Craig, and wondered what was going on at home right now.

"Come on, Angie," Emma said sweetly. "It's time to go to bed." Angela followed Emma into her room, and Spike closed the door.

Snake came out of the bathroom and looked at Spike.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"It was Craig. Angela's staying here tonight," Spike responded. Snake was confused now, but he turned off all the lights and went to bed.

The day after was Thursday, and Snake had been watching Craig all the way through class. His eye was severely bruised. He couldn't stand it anymore; he had to talk to him. "Everyone, please continue, you're doing great," he said. Walking over to Craig, he asked to see him in the hall. Craig stood up, bowing his head, and followed Snake out to the hall.

Craig leaned up against a locker, and watched as Snake closed the door.

"How are things at home?" asked Snake. Craig shrugged silently. "Craig." Craig gave him a cold stare. Snake could see it in his eyes; he wanted to die. Something was seriously wrong, and he had to get Craig to tell him what it was. He placed his hands gently on Craig's shoulders.

"I need you to tell me what's been going on." Craig shook his head.

"Nothing."  
"Then why did you bring Angie over last night?"

"I couldn't let her stay at home," Craig whispered. "Joey was drunk. He couldn't even take care of Angie. Don't worry about it; she'll be at home tonight."

"She's not who I'm worried about." Craig looked at the floor and sighed.

"I'm fine," he said simply.

"No, you're not. Emma told me that your eye was bleeding last night. That's not 'fine'."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to tell me the truth."

"You're not gonna get any more truth than I've already voluntarily given you. I can put up with Joey. Angela can't. I can't leave her alone. I don't need Joey to make my life more of a hell than it already is, but there's really nothing I can do."

"Why don't you just take Angela to Caitlin's and have her take care of her for a while?"

"Do you know what Caitlin said to me before she left? She said I'm a 'sad, frightened, pathetic little boy, too scared to face reality.' What the hell is that supposed to mean? I'm not leaving my sister with Caitlin!"

"Craig, if you love her enough, you'll let her stay with Caitlin." Craig sighed, defeated.

"Fine. I'll take her there after school."

"Okay. And...?"  
"And...I'll try and do something about Joey. But..."

"It's okay. Let's go back to class now." Craig nodded and followed Mr. Simpson back into the classroom, receiving many stares from his peers. He stared at his computer screen, trying hard to concentrate, but he couldn't.

When the bell finally rang, he immediately stood up and left.

Today, he had to go to the shrink. Joey had told him he didn't have to go back, but, again, he'd lied to him.

Whatever.

Craig drove to the mental clinic and sat down for ten minutes. Then, he went up to his shrink's office.

"Hey, Craig," the shrink said sweetly, sipping some tea. Craig said nothing, but irritatedly sat down. He stared at the wall for a minute.

"So, how are you today?"

"Like you care," Craig said coldly.

"Craig. This is my job. I do this to help people. I need you to work with me."

"Why? If you're such an expert on helping people, why don't you leave them alone? They don't want to talk to you!"

The therapist sighed. She had problems with this kid. Oh, well.

"I talked to Joey. He said you've been getting high."

"Yeah...so?"

"That's not healthy."  
"You know what I'm gonna do as soon as I leave this place? I'm gonna pick up my cell phone, call Jay, and go get high with him. I'm telling you the truth now. _I enjoy getting high._" Craig's eyes were cold, but the therapist could tell that he was hiding something else.

"My husband told me that you haven't been in the hospital lately," the woman said coolly.

"Your husband? Who the hell's your husband?"

"Frank Rennips."

"You're his wife? He could do so much better." Now Craig was working to piss her off.

"So could I." The shrink put her hand on Craig's knee, and he looked up at her in shock.

"What in the hell are you doing? I don't want you! I think you're a stupid bitch and if you ever touch me again I'm calling the cops! Sicko!" Craig stood up and walked out of the room.

Just as he said he would, Craig picked his cell phone up and called Jay. A few minutes later, both of their cars were parked outside the old house, and they were inside.

Sitting down on the old mattress in the back bedroom where Craig had been just a week before, were Jay and Craig. Jay had something in his pocket, and pulled it out. A small bag of white tablets. Hmm. Craig took one and swallowed it.

"What was that?" Craig asked.

"Ecstasy. Know and love it. By the way, you owe me thirty bucks."  
"For what?"

"For the pill you just swallowed. Those things aren't cheap."

"Oh, well. I can just steal some money from Joey."

"Why can't you just use the money you get from your job?" asked Jay, swallowing one of the ecstasy pills.

"Because I use that to pay for my gas and insurance." Jay shrugged.

About six-and-a-half minutes later, Jay and Craig had taken two of the pills each and were sitting in Jay's car, with Jay driving around. They stopped at the mall, where they kept running into people from school. After running around everywhere, they went to the movie theatre. Paige was working there, alone.

"Hi, Paige," Craig said energetically.

"Hi, Craig," Paige said in a low tone.

"Whatcha doin'? Makin' popcorn?" Craig asked.

"Yeah...what're you doing? Buying some of it?"

"Nah. I have to pay Jay back," Craig said in a matter-of-fact kind of voice.

"For what?" asked Paige. Craig and Jay began to laugh maniacally.

"For...X-T-C," Craig said, still laughing. His stomach was beginning to hurt; this laughing was building muscle.

"Ecstasy? First Ash, and then you...God, why me?" Paige said, defeated. "How did you two get here?"

"I drove," Jay said.

"You drove? While you were high?"

"Yup. But look—we're okay."  
"That doesn't mean that you're going to be on your way back. You two...stay here. I need to go talk to my manager for a minute. Don't move!" Craig and Jay leaned up against the counter and stood still. Another odd turn of events occurred when Emma, Manny, Spike, Mr. Simpson, and Jack showed up.

"Hi, guys," Emma and Manny said. Craig and Jay tried to hold back laughter, but gave in a second later. They started laughing again.

Paige appeared again, with Meeri right behind her. "Meeri will be serving you all for now. I'll be back in a few minutes. Come on, Craig," Paige commanded.

"Where are we going?" Craig asked happily.

"I'm taking you home! You're in no condition to drive yourself!" Paige said.

"Fine! Bye, Jay! I'm going home now! Wait...what about my car? It's still at the other house."

"Where are your car keys?" Craig pulled his keys out of his pocket. "Okay, Craig, this is how it's gonna work. I'm going to take you and drop you off at home. I'll call Spinner and have him meet us at your house. I'll take him to your car, he'll drive it back to you, and we'll all be very nice, happy, and safe. Okay?"

Craig stared at Paige blankly for a second, and then nodded. He followed Paige out to her mom's green van. Hopping into the front passenger seat, he inhaled deeply. "This car smells...odd," he said.

"That's because you're used to your car's smell of men's body spray and leather," Paige replied.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Spinner.

"Spinner, I need you to meet me at Craig's," she said.

"Okay."

Sadly, every day for the next week was hell for Craig. His grades were slipping even more than they already had been, and Joey was drunk every night. Angie wasn't there anymore; she was with Caitlin. He had to take care of Joey. Even though Joey beat the crap out of him almost every time, he knew it was because of Caitlin. Everything led back to Caitlin. That would teach Joey. Anyway, at around 9:00 every night, Joey would finally pass out, and Craig, aching all over, had the strength and heart to pick him up and put him in bed.

Craig's headaches were becoming more frequent and painful. He was getting sick because of them and he had vomited several times at school, and spent almost half of the days at school in the health room.

When Craig got home from school one day, there was no running water and no electricity in the house.

"JOEY! DAMMIT! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PAY THE WATER AND ELECTRIC BILLS!" he shouted. Craig watched Joey stumble around the house and scoffed. He could call Caitlin; but it wasn't her house anymore. Well, technically, it was, but she didn't live here and she didn't have any responsibility over it. Now, it was Craig's responsibility; Joey, and the house. Plus school and work. But how does a seventeen-year-old with a part-time job at a busy café and school balance all these things? He had no idea how to balance it, but he eventually did.

Craig took the remainder of his money he had saved from his job at the Dot and heavy-heartedly handed it over to the water and electric company. He knew that this wasn't fair to him; he wasn't supposed to be paying the bills. He was supposed to be paying for his car. But, no. Joey had to be stumbling around the house, drunk.

Several times during one week, Joey wouldn't pass out until it was four in the morning. And, Craig, having to be Mr. Responsible, stayed up until then and put Joey to bed. He had stopped focusing in class; he was too tired. He'd started walking to school to keep himself awake. It had been three weeks since Caitlin had left, and this troubled teen was putting up with all this crap.

And, on the first Wednesday in March, during English, Craig passed out. Several girls screamed and a small crowd surrounded him. Spinner, who was the strongest person in the class (except Craig. Y'all know that Craig could take Spinner, 'cept he's kinda passed out right now), carried Craig to the health room.

"There's nothing wrong with him," Spinner said simply. "He's tired. Hasn't slept in a week." Mr. Simpson, who heard about Craig, called Joey. Joey answered the phone, and thank God, he was sober for once.

"Hello?" Joey said.

"Jeremiah, I need you to come here right now. I need to talk to you," Mr. Simpson demanded.

"Okay. I'll be right there," Joey answered. They hung up and Joey arrived a few minutes later.

"Do you have any idea where your son is right now?" Snake shouted.

"He's in school," said Joey.

"Right. And which part of the school?"

"I don't know..."

"He's in the nurse's office, passed out from exhaustion! Are you aware that Craig hasn't been sleeping? Do you know where he is every day?"

"Oh my God...I never noticed," Joey muttered.

"Drunk people don't tend to! Craig told Sean that he has to pay all the bills and take care of your sorry ass every night after you pass out! Oh, not to mention the fact that you're beating him half to death! He doesn't need all that put on his shoulders! He has enough to worry about now!"

"I don't need you telling me how to take care of my son!"  
"Son? _Son_? You mean the one that was being abused by his father, and you jumped in and said, 'Oh, lala! You can live with me!'? The one that you fought so hard to keep? The one that's probably on the edge of killing himself? That son? You've already lost him, Joey! The only reason he's staying with you is so that he doesn't have to put up with his guilty conscience after you drunkenly fall down the stairs and die! If you lived in a one-story house, he'd be gone by now! He could move in with his friends! You're lucky he's not selfish and stayed this long! And what have you been doing about his headaches? Did you know that he's suffering from migraines during the day? Or that he hasn't taken medication for over a month? Do you even care?"

Joey stared at the ground shamefully. "Yeah. I do," he whispered. "But..."

"But nothing."

"Can I just go see him?" Joey asked. Snake nodded, and Joey walked to the nurse's office. Craig was stretched out on one of the white beds, and Spinner was standing there talking to the nurse. Spinner turned around, saw Joey, and walked out of the room. Joey knelt down next to Craig. He shook him awake. Craig saw him and flinched.

"Shh. It's okay," Joey said serenely. "You wanna go home and sleep?" Craig nodded groggily and rolled off of the bed. He slowly stood up and Joey helped support him while they walked out to the car. Craig fell asleep in the car, and Joey gently woke him up when they got home.  
Craig weakly went up the stairs and dropped himself onto his bed. Joey assisted him in taking off his jacket, and he could see all the bruises up and down his arms.

"I'm sorry," Joey said apologetically. "I'm so sorry." Joey took the car keys out of the jacket pocket. He ran his hand through Craig's hair and could tell that he was exhausted from the last three weeks. Covering him with four blankets and cushioning his head with the softest pillows he could find in the house, Joey still felt like crap. He didn't realize he'd been drinking the way he had for this long, or that he'd been hurting Craig, or that Craig had to pay the bills with his own money.

Now, there was a painful void that would fill both of their minds for life.

Whatever was happening to the two was not good. They were close just two years ago; and now, they were so far apart, so...distant. Craig was off doing drugs with Jay, and Joey was at home, getting drunk and not going to work, beating his already-traumatized stepson.

Later that day, Joey got a call from the mental-health clinic. Craig's shrink suggested hypnotherapy to figure out things from his past. Joey hesitated for a second, but then decided to do it. He was willing to do almost anything to help Craig now.

Craig woke up at around midnight that night. Joey hadn't been able to sleep, and he couldn't even look at Craig; he felt horrible now. Craig got up and cooked himself some Top Ramen. He saw several empty bottles of vodka sitting on the counter. He glanced over at Joey worriedly, and then saw that he wasn't acting the way he did when he was drunk, so he figured it was from all the other times.

He sat down on the couch and ate his hot chicken Top Ramen in peace. His body was stiff and tense; he was nervous about being this close to Joey. When he finished eating, he got up and washed the bowl. He sat back down on the couch. Joey stretched, and Craig flinched. His body began shaking, and Joey watched him sadly, examining all the bruises on his arms. Joey opened his mouth and spoke.

"You have a hypnotherapy session tomorrow. At 10:30." Craig was silent. "Where's Angela?"

"She's at Caitlin's. She's been there for three weeks now. Had you been sober, you would've known that. Actually, if you had been sober, she wouldn't have been there in the first place. I'm going back to bed."

Craig got up and went to bed.

The next day, at nine, Craig got up, and was glad that he didn't have to go to school, but was a little skeptical about this 'hypnotherapy'. He took a very hot shower and combed his hair. He brushed his teeth and went to his room. Finding some fresh, clean clothes, he put them on and found his jacket.

When they arrived at the mental clinic, they went up several flights of stairs and down two hallways to reach a room with the word "HYPNOTHERAPY" across the door. They met with an old man with a bald spot covering a rather large portion of his scalp. He explained the process in about five minutes.

Several minutes after the explanation was over, Craig was laying on a small couch, under the 'hypnotherapy', doing exactly what he never hoped to do again—relive his past.

"What's he doing now, Craig?" the old man asked. Craig didn't have enough clear thought to answer. He was groaning in pain—more than pain. Misery. Something went wrong when he was twelve, but Joey wasn't sure what. His father had held him down...something...there was something...held him down by his wrists, and...it just wasn't clicking in Joey's mind. He remembered something that had to do with Craig's wrists...a few years ago...Julia had freaked out about it...she had refused to talk about it...

Craig was crying out in suffering now. The old man was trying to wake him up. Joey kept trying to figure this out. Finally, Craig did wake up, and he gasped for air. He looked at Joey for a second, and then curled up into fetal position.

He shook violently, and Joey was finally able to get him to the car. Craig was still and quiet on the way home. His hands were still shaking, and they walked in the door, and Craig went up to his room, quietly closing the door behind him. Joey was now extremely worried. He went up the bedroom, and opened the door. Craig was lying on his bed. Joey sat on the bed, against the wall, and put his hand on Craig's back. Craig sat up and rested his head on Joey's chest. Joey barely moved; he didn't speak. He just sat there, holding Craig. Craig didn't make any noise, either.

When Craig lowered his head to Joey's lap, Joey noticed that the front of his shirt was wet. He looked down at Craig, who was now sound asleep. Now he wished that Craig's father was alive so that he could kill him.

The phone started ringing. Joey gently picked up Craig's head and replaced his lap with a pillow. He jogged downstairs to answer the phone. "Hello?" he said. It was a telemarketer. Joey hung up and went back upstairs.

Craig was curled up on the bed, hugging the pillow. The dark, purple bruises still showed clearly on Craig's arms, and Joey's heart burned. Craig yawned and stretched, and then pushed himself up. He found another section of the bed that was soft and cool and laid down on it. Joey slowly entered the room and sat down on the bed next to Craig. Craig weakly turned over and looked at Joey.

"Are you feeling better?" Joey asked. Craig stretched his arms again.

"A little bit," he answered. "Why?"

"I was just wondering. I'm worried about you, Craig."  
"I know." Craig fell back on the pillow he'd been hugging just minutes before. "I know."

"Craig." Joey stared at Craig.

"What?"

"I need you to tell me what happened." Craig sat up and walked over to the window.

"When?"  
"When you were twelve. What happened?"

"A lot of things happened, Joey. A lot."  
"You know what I'm talking about," Joey said firmly. "What in the hell did he do to you?" Even though Joey already had a good idea of what had happened, he wanted to hear it from Craig.

"Nothing, Joey!" Craig shouted. "God! Leave it alone!"

"It wasn't nothing. We both know it. Don't try and act like it never happened."  
"Why not? Why can't I try and leave parts of my past behind?" Craig turned and stared into Joey's eyes.

"Because you're not getting anywhere by keeping it inside!"

"Yeah, I am! I was doing just fine for the last three weeks! Oh, sure, I couldn't drive, and I had to work more and pay your bills! I had to take care of you! I can take care of myself and I sure as hell don't need to tell you what my father did to me!"

"So there was something else. He didn't just beat you, did he? How many times did that happen?" Craig was silent for a little over a minute.

"It was just that one time."

"Everything makes sense now. The bruises on your wrists that weekend. The silence. It all makes sense."

Woo! Flashback #1

_Craig's father had just dropped him off at Joey and Julia's house. Julia, naturally, was over-excited to see her only son again. She ran up and hugged him tightly. Today, however, she noticed that Craig was not as vibrant as he normally would have been. "What's wrong?" Julia asked worriedly. _

_Craig looked at the ground and sighed sadly. Julia pulled up the sleeves on Craig's sweatshirt and ran her nails across the bruises that were set on the pale skin. Tears formed in her eyes and she led Craig into the house quietly. Joey watched as Julia sat down on the couch with Craig and talked to him quietly. After a few minutes, she hugged him and Craig went to go see Angie. Strangely, no matter how many times Joey asked her what was up with Craig, she refused to speak of it. _

Damn, end flashback

"I swear to God, if your father was here right now I would tear his eyes out," Joey said hatefully.

"I've wanted to once or twice," Craig said casually, not moving away from the window.

"Once or twice? After everything he's done to you, you've only wanted to once or twice?"

"Well, yeah, because all the other times I wanted to do something so horrible and gruesome that I probably shouldn't say it."

"It wasn't fair," Joey said calmly. "It was never fair."

"I know."

"You could've said something. So long ago. You could be fine right now."

"What are you talking about? I am fine. Very fine. In fact, there's absolutely nothing wrong with me."

"Snake told me you've been having migraines."

"What? So?" Craig said carelessly.

"So? That information would've been nice to know a month ago! It would have been nice to know that you were off your medication the entire time! You lied to me!"

"And you lied to me! You told me you would always be there for me! But guess what? I had to take care of you? Me! I was the one who paid the bills, and cleaned the house, and put you to bed every night after you passed out! I put the rest of my sanity on the line for you! It's not fair that you made me go through all that crap for you! You're supposed to be the adult here, not me! I was supposed to use the money I made from my job on my car! There was never anything that said I was meant to take care of you! And what about me? You took me away from my father to live with you, and now he's dead, and I live here! I live with some drunk that can't control himself just because his girlfriend walks out on him! What Caitlin did wasn't my fault! See these bruises? They're from you! You're a violent drunk! You need to get a hold of yourself and go to work!"

"Don't tell me how to run my life! You have no idea how hard it is to take care of someone that needs medication!"

"Oh, I don't? Were you EVER the person that needed the medication? You don't even know what if feels like to take medication for something you can't control! You could've left me at the hospital that day, and I would've been fine with it! I would've understood. Why did you take me home after that?"

WOOHOO! FLASHBACK #2!

_Craig was sitting in a small room in the hospital. He'd had some tests run on him hours ago, and he was waiting for a diagnosis. No. He was dreading a diagnosis. What he was waiting for was for Joey to come into the room, say that there was nothing wrong, that it was all just built-up tension. It never happened. _

_He wasn't able to fall asleep; he was anxious to know what was wrong with him, and hoped it was deadly. He couldn't spend the rest of his life with some stupid condition, along with knowing what he'd done to Joey. _

_The door to the room opened, and Craig looked up. Joey entered the room and sat down in a chair next to the bed. He had a soft expression on his face, but Craig could see right through it; Joey was worried. Craig's heart raced and he shook nervously. The next three words that came out of Joey's mouth would stick in Craig's mind forever. _

"_Craig...you're bipolar." _

_Now Craig prayed that a plane would strike this section of the hospital, killing everyone, especially himself. Or that maybe he would spontaneously combust. Or that Joey would and, while trying to save him, burn to death himself. Any way out of this would be good. _

"_They want me to give you these medications." Joey held out a small bottle filled with little capsules. Craig hesitated for a moment, and then took the bottle. He read the label. "_Craig Manning. Take once daily_." He scoffed and threw the bottle to the floor. Quickly, he laid down on the bed and turned away from Joey. _

_There was no more happy left. None. No more good memories; everything fades to black. There would be no more good memories. Everything would turn into ash and fall to the floor. "Craig, come on," Joey said softly. He touched Craig's arm. Craig turned around and sat up, but didn't say anything. _

"_You haven't said anything for seven hours now." Craig stared at him sadly. _

"_What is there to say now? I'm effing insane, and you want me to say something? Like what? Mmm, medications, taste like candy! Oh, and this bracelet—very nice. It's gonna make all the other girls at school jealous!" he said, finishing his rant in a high-pitched voice. _

"_Craig, you don't have to wear the bracelet after we leave. But...I would appreciate it if you took the medications." _

"_Maybe I don't want to take the medication." _

"_You have to." _

"_No, I don't." _

"_Craig."  
"Joey. Do you have any idea how much this stupid 'condition' is ruining my life? If anyone at school ever finds out about it, I'll never go to school again. All of a sudden, it'll be, 'Oh, look, it's Craig! He's crazy and has to take medication!' I can't live like that. I can't, and if I have to...Joey, I think you should just leave." _

"_I'm not leaving." _

"_Why not?" _

"_I don't want to. I'm not leaving you here alone. Not now. You've been through too much right now and I can't let you be alone." _

"_If you take me home, there's a million things that could happen. I could take all of these medications and overdose on them and kill myself so that I don't have to put up with this crap anymore. I could just not take them. You might wake up and find that your car is in a lake because I went on a psychotic joy ride. Then again, I could take the one-a-day medications, be a good little boy, go to school, and get on with the rest of my life." _

Damn. End Flashback #2

"I was willing to take that chance," Joey said. "I wanted to give you a fair chance."

"Well, you shouldn't have. I didn't want you to. What I wanted was to die. And maybe that would've been better for all of us."

"Craig."

"No, Joey. Really. I'm sick of living. It's too hard."

"We just have to get through it."  
"Joey, why would I want to get through it? I'm stuck in the same frame of mind I have been since I found out I was crazy. I'm doing more drugs than what comes in the little bottle of lithium. And...I'm sorry. But that's just the way it is."

Joey was quiet. Craig's cell phone started ringing. He turned and picked it up.

"Hello?" he said. "Yes...yeah, okay...hold on. Joey, can I go to Spinner's for a party?" Joey stared at him. "It's Marco! Really! Here, you wanna talk to him?" Joey shook his head, and Craig continued to talk. "Yeah, it's cool. I'll be there...okay, later." Craig hung up and dropped the phone back on the table.

"I'm going to a party at Spinner's later. With some friends. I'll be fine."  
And, sadly, Joey believed him.

When Craig arrived at Spinner's, he showed up with Jay. And their new favorite as of late, ecstasy, accompanied them. The two were being completely stupid. Craig saw several people from school, but was too high to care. Someone had a video camera and was filming people at the party.

After having a little bit of beer, Craig went up to Marco. Everyone in the room stopped and stared as Craig randomly started making out with him. Marco didn't try and stop him; he was enjoying it. They kissed for about four minutes, and then Craig simply walked off. Whoever was videotaping started following Craig around. Craig turned and saw who it was—Spinner. He ran off to go find Jay.

"Hey, man, I need to go home," he said when he finally found him. Jay nodded.

"Okay, let's go," Jay said coolly. They'd only been there for...what...two hours? Spinner, who had noticed that Jay was more than a little bit high. He continued filming. He found Marco and they got in to Spinner's car. Waiting for a few minutes, Spinner told Marco to drive. Finally, Jay and Craig left, with Marco and Spinner following close behind to ensure Craig's getting home safely.

Spinner filmed the entire trip behind Jay's car. They were on the main road now; a very busy one at that. A large group of semi trucks were coming from the left. Spinner got a clip of the trucks, following a particular one that had "Pepsi" written on the side. As he followed, the truck did something almost too thrilling for words.

As the truck kept going, it collided with the side of Jay's car. The rest of the world seemed to stop. Marco slammed on the brakes, and they got out of the car. They rushed to the side that hadn't been directly hit—the passenger side. Marco held the camera while Spinner forced the door open and pulled Craig out. He was barely concious, but he wasn't dead.

Spinner carried him for the second time that week. Marco, Spinner, and the almost-lifeless Craig went back to the car and got inside. Marco handed Spinner back the camera. Spinner simply put it on the headboard, facing Craig, who was now moaning in pain. Craig's head was on Marco's lap. He looked up weakly at Marco, while Spinner called Joey.

A/N: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHA! MUUHAHAHAHAHAHA! Okay, before everyone starts freaking out---

I KNOW that it was fast-paced! I had to get it done in like, a week, so...yeah. And I didn't have much time.

I KNOW you all like the Craig/Joey thing, and that's WHY it's in every chapter.

I WILL be pairing Craig up with someone, and you'll probably all hate me for who it is.

I WILL be killing someone. And, as of next week, that dead person will form another half of a chapter. Their name isn't even mentioned until halfway through the next chapter, so...yeah. ALL OF YOU NEED TO SHUT UP! Nah, just playin'. Anyway, REVIEW IT! IF YOU DON'T, THEN...I'LL NEVER UPDATE IT AGAIN! EVER! AND I'M NOT BLUFFING THIS TIME!


	20. Part 16: Untitled

Part 16: Untitled

A/N: Okay, you all (or, most of you) know the song "Untitled" by Simple Plan, and have probably seen the video. ANYWAY, that's where I got the idea for this chapter. Don't worry, Craig's not gonna be in there FOREVER. Sadly, we learn that one of our characters has died. Um...yeah.

It was 9:14 PM on a dry, cold Friday night in March.

He had just arrived at the hospital. He was being rushed down the hall. His eyes were closed, and he couldn't see anything. Suddenly, he stopped. Opening his eyes, he stared directly into the light overhead. He felt a warm hand cover his own cold one. He slowly glanced up. Staring into the worried eyes of his stepfather, he quickly looked away.

He didn't know how or why he was lying on this bed, or why everyone looked so scared. That scared him, and all he knew was that he was in horrible pain. He was suffering, and he couldn't just make it go away. He felt something in his throat. He could taste it and knew it all too well—blood.

Another sharp pain struck him in the stomach and he clutched it. He started to move again, and Joey was right next to him. He knew that something bad either already happened, or it was going to. Taking a few slow, short breaths, he painstakingly looked up at Joey, who didn't know what had happened; all he knew was that Craig was in pain, so he was there for him.

They finally went into a room. On one side of Craig, doctors were hooking him up to an IV, stabbing him with needles, and cleaning the blood from his skin. On the other side, Joey stood. Craig's arm was still laid across his stomach, holding it. He weakly coughed up blood, and then tried to speak. "Joey...it hurts..." he said.

"I know. I know. Shh. Everything will be over soon." Craig wondered what the hell THAT was supposed to mean. Was he expecting him to die? Or go comatose? One of the doctors on the other side of Craig lifted his shirt up past his stomach. Craig's pale skin had a thin layer of dried blood spread across it.

The doctor took a sterile-looking white washcloth and carefully cleaned the blood away. The clean flesh had a medium-sized gash in it. Joey watched as it was sterilized with alcohol. Craig winced as the gash was stitched up and bandaged. Joey couldn't take it anymore. He walked out of the room and drove home.

He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, knowing that he left Craig alone. There wasn't a point to him leaving; just the fact that he couldn't bare to see Craig in any more pain.

Joey made himself a cup of coffee, and sat down at the kitchen table. He sipped it every now and then until it became cold. He slid it to the side of the table and rested his head in his hands.

Elsewhere, the party at Spinner's had ended. Everyone had gone home and was watching the news to see if there was anything about it there. There was. It was all lies. The news reporters knew nothing. Spinner had the solid evidence on tape, but he wasn't going to just give it up. He would let Joey and Craig see it before he handed it over to the public. Before everyone left, when Spinner and Marco had returned from dropping Craig off in the ER, Spinner hooked the camera up to the TV and told everyone what had happened.

Caitlin, who had been watching a boring interview in her little apartment, had her show interrupted by "BREAKING NEWS". This "breaking news" was all over, on every channel, was never really important. At least not to Caitlin. But when she heard the words "high school seniors" and "party", she had to watch, just to make sure. And, several minutes later, she was doing the exact same thing Joey had done—gotten coffee. Angela was sleeping in Caitlin's bed down the hall.

Mascara ran down her cheeks, and she wondered how she could ever be so evil to say what she did to Craig. Now, he was lying in the hospital, in what condition, she didn't know. She just prayed that he was alive.

Ashley was at home, sleeping, unaware that anything had happened. That was until Paige called.

"Hello?" Ashley said groggily.

"Ashley, it's Paige," Paige said frantically. "Oh, my God...did you watch the news?"

"What? Paige, what's going on?" Ashley sat up on her bed.

"Well, your mom's probably going to love this one. Jay and Craig are in the hospital."

"They're...they're in the hospital? Why?" Ashley cried. She had a distinct feeling that drugs had something to do with it.

"They were at Spinner's party, and they were doing something, and Craig asked for a ride home, and...Spinner has it on videotape. I mean, if you want to watch it sometime."

"No, Paige, I don't. Are they gonna be okay?"

"I don't know," Paige whispered. "I don't know."

"This totally sucks," Ashley said. "I gotta go." She hung up and tossed her cell phone on her bed. She ran downstairs and ran into Toby.

"What's the big rush?" Toby said rather rudely.

"Craig's in the hospital!" Ashley shouted.

"So?" Kate said carelessly.

"So? It's not just SO! Craig doesn't deserve any of this! I don't see why you still hate him! _I _hurt_ him!_ Joey doesn't hate me! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Ashley screamed. She ran out of the house in her shorts and tank top. She jogged barefoot to Joey's house. She got to Joey's, panting breathlessly, and knocked on the door. Joey slowly went up to the door and opened it.

"I just heard," she said quietly. Joey let her in and they sat down on the couch. "Craig and I don't really talk much, but...I still care about him."

"Everyone cares about him. But he...he doesn't want that. He wants to be left alone."

"He acts like he does. I mean, usually, he probably does. But...I don't know."

"Has Craig ever told you...about something his dad did to him when he was younger?" Joey asked quietly. Ashley looked up at him.

"That...he beat him, that's all I know," she replied. "Why?"  
"Well...yesterday...I took Craig to this hypnotherapy session. And...he freaked out. He was just...scared out of his mind. He was shaking and he couldn't talk for hours. I finally got him home and he fell asleep. I put two and two together, and...I found out what happened. He told me it only happened that one time, and I believe him, but..."

"Joey...Craig has kept so many things to himself, and...I wouldn't be surprised if his father intentionally had tried to kill him at one point. But right now we just have to hope that he's okay."

Joey nodded understandingly. Ashley felt bad for Joey; he worried about Craig constantly. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and they hugged for a minute.

They pulled back and Ashley said, "I should probably get home now. My mom's probably worried out of her mind."

"I'll give you a ride. I need to get out of this hellhole of a house." Ashley nodded in agreement.

So, Joey drove her home. He hadn't had the chance for such a calm ride in the car for a while now.

When they reached her house, Ashley looked over at him. "Hang in there. It'll get better," she said. Joey nodded and Ashley skipped inside quickly.

The next morning, Joey woke up really late. He forgot for a moment why the house was so quiet. When he turned on the TV, it all came back to him. The call from Spinner, and...everything.

He got dressed quickly and had some coffee. After finishing, he ran outside and drove to the hospital.

Upon arriving, he went down several halls and found Craig's room. Craig was sleeping on the bed, but he didn't look like he was very comfortable; he was connected to about four machines. His face was covered in bruises and scratches: nothing too serious.

A nurse walked in and messed with the IV bag, and then looked at Joey. "He got out of surgery a few hours ago," she said. "They had to remove four ribs. He'll be fine." Joey nodded.

Hours that seemed like days passed. Nothing had happened. Craig's arm had twitched once or twice, however. There was little hope that something good was going to come out of this.

Joey was surprised when Spinner walked into the room, and he looked just as surprised to see Joey. He had something in his hand. "Has he woken up yet?" Spinner asked quietly.

"No," Joey answered.

"That...sucks," Spinner said. "I have a tape. Of what happened. At the party and stuff. I don't know if you want to watch it or let him watch it when he gets up, or..." Spinner held out the tape and Joey looked at it for a second, but then took it.

"Thanks, Spinner," said Joey.

"Well, I have to go. I'm supposed to meet some people. Um...if he wakes up soon...tell him I said I hope he gets well soon. Really." Spinner took another glance at Craig, then turned and left the room.

The only other thing that would happen that day was another nurse entering the room and messing with the IV bag again.

Sunday, Snake showed up. Joey had come and gone several times by then, and still, no sign of him waking up.  
"Hey, Jeremiah," Snake said. "How's it going?" Joey looked up at him emotionlessly. "I know it's hard to sit in here and watch your unconscious son sleep, but...you need to take a break."

"I can't take a break. Caitlin has my daughter; Craig could be on his deathbed, and..." Joey stopped talking and looked at his hands, then back at Snake.

"Come on, Joey," said Snake. "We can go out for coffee or...a drink or something. You've spent half of the last year in this hospital." Joey sighed, but knew that Snake was going to argue him into leaving one way or another.

"Fine," Joey said. "Let's go."  
They went out for drinks at a bar, and talked for hours. At the end of the day, when they finally got 'cut off', they both stumbled out of the building.

Fortunately, they both got home safely, and Joey fell asleep at the kitchen table.

On Monday afternoon, after Archie had finished teaching, he came over to Joey's. The front door was unlocked, so he just waltzed right in. Joey was sleeping, head-down on the table. Snake walked over to the table and shook Joey's shoulder until he stirred and woke up.

"Wha...?" Joey mumbled, picking his head up off of the table.

"Joey, you need to be awake. The hospital called the school. Craig woke up a few hours ago, but he's asleep now."

"What? You mean he's okay?" Joey cried. He stood up and then stumbled again, finding balance when he leaned up against the table.

"Yeah, he's fine. Calm down. You can go see him in a little while."

SIX HOURS EARLIER

Craig had been sleeping on a bed in the hospital when a nurse walked by. She glanced into the window and noticed that Craig was moving, but he didn't look awake.

The nurse went into the room and watched him for a second, then realized that he must've been having some sort of odd dream or nightmare.

She shook him gently, waking him up. Her eyes met Craig's own dark ones, and he slowly came to the realization that he was in the hospital. He couldn't even talk, but he wanted to. The nurse gave Craig some water, and he fell asleep again.

SIX-AND-A-HALF HOURS AFTER THAT

Joey rushed to the hospital, and jogged through the empty halls. He almost ran past Craig's room, but then saw him sleeping in the bed. Taking in the image before him, he sat down in a chair next to the bed. Craig stirred and awoke. He was weak and tired, and could barely keep his eyes open. He tried to talk, and looked over at the water, which seemed so far away. Joey saw the water, took the glass, and held it up to Craig's lips. He drank some of the water and then breathed. Feebly, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Hey, Joey," he muttered.

"Hi, Craig," Joey said softly. "How're you feeling?"

"I feel like I got hit by a truck. And I'm tired. Other than that, I'm fine," Craig said.

"Well, you did get hit by a truck."

"Why am I in here? I don't even know what happened. What day is it?"

"You got in another car accident. It wasn't your fault though; a truck ran a red light. And it's Monday."

"Monday..." Craig moaned when a pain in his side struck him. "How long have I been in this hellish place?"

"Three days. Since Friday night. You're lucky that Spinner and Marco got you out of the car when they did."

"Stop talking. You're confusing me."

"Shh. I know. You need to rest anyway. Go back to sleep."

"Joey? When can I get out of here?" Craig asked, watching Joey hopefully.

"I'm going to go talk to a nurse and I'll see when they can get you out of here. Okay?" Craig nodded and closed his eyes. He fell asleep again and Joey went to go find a nurse. He talked to her for a while, and then he walked by Craig's room again.

Craig was still asleep, so Joey decided to go home. The nurse said that in four days, Craig could go home. But, he needed bed rest for one week after that.

When he pulled in front of the house, Joey noticed something—Craig's car wasn't there. That was the first time he'd realized it at all. Then, he remembered. It must've been parked at the old house where Craig met up with Jay. Then he wondered what happened to Jay. He had gotten hit the hardest...

Joey decided that he would wait until Craig got out of the hospital to go and get his car.

The next day, Joey got up and went to go see Craig. He took one of Craig's CDs with him, along with a CD player. He knew that it was going to take a while for Craig to wake up.

Around noon, Craig did wake up, and they talked for about an hour. "Joey, let me see that CD," Craig said. Joey opened the CD player and handed Craig his Jimi Hendrix CD. Craig took the CD and held it, facing the silver side. He looked at his face for the first time since he'd woken up. Running his fingers along the dark bruises, he was left in a silent shock. Looking away from the CD, he handed it back to Joey, who carefully placed it back into the CD player.

"That's really how bad I look, isn't it?" Craig said quietly after a few minutes. Joey nodded truthfully. "Dammit! Why does this always happen to me? I'm always screwed no matter what I do!"

"Craig, they'll go away. I promise; they will. But you have to promise me something." Craig looked into Joey's eyes. "You have to promise me that...that you'll try and be happy. For a day. For a week. Whenever. Wherever. But for at one time in the last year...try and be happy."

"It's really hard for me. I want to be happy."

"I know it's hard. With everything that's happened in the last year...but look—you're popular and have a ton of friends that love you and care about you. And when the day's over, there's still me and Angie. And you'll always have us, no matter what you do or what happens. Just promise."

"I promise," Craig whispered. "I promise." Joey smiled softly and Craig painfully leaned up in his bed. He hugged Joey quickly and then couldn't stand the pain from the gash in his stomach anymore, so he laid back down.

"I need to get going. There's cars that need to be sold, so...I'll be back after work. If you're awake. Some of your friends know your room number, so...you might get visits or phone calls today. Okay?" said Joey calmly.

"Yeah, okay. Bye, Joey," Craig said. He watched Joey leave the room, and then settled back down into his bed. He tired and fell asleep.

When he woke up, he saw Spinner, Marco, and Paige. "He lives!" said Marco happily.

"Hi, guys...and Paige," Craig mumbled wearily. "What's up?" He used the little strength he had to push himself up. He looked over at the clock; it said it was ten, but there was light outside.

"What's today?" Craig asked.

"Wednesday," Paige answered.

"What the hell? I've been sleeping since like, 1:30 yesterday afternoon!" Craig said in surprise.

"Yeah, Joey came by last night, but you were sleeping," said Spinner.

"Oh. Well...what're you guys doing here?"

"We skipped."

"Cool."

"Yeah. When are they letting you out?" asked Marco.

"Tomorrow. And then I can't go to school until next Friday."

"Lucky. How've you been?" Paige asked.

"In pain and lots of it. You?"

"Fine. Everyone is worried sick about you, even Ash. You should call her."

"I can't call her. She's...I can't."

"Craig, come on! She really wants to talk to you."

"I don't want to get hurt again."

"That's...understandable. In that case, take your time."

"Thank God. So, Spinner, am I fired yet?"

"If you want to be. You're on medical leave. We've got a temp working in the kitchen doing dishes, but...he's not very good. Are you, Marco?" Spinner said, turning to Marco. Paige, Spinner, and Craig all started laughing. Marco blushed.

"Don't worry, Spin," Craig said. "I'll be back in that kitchen next Friday."

"Cool. Our customers are complaining that Manny's lip gloss is still on the glasses."

Craig laughed, but then went into a painful coughing fit. He finally stopped. He held his stomach afterward, as the pain from coughing had struck him there. He looked up at the door and his eyes widened. Spinner, Marco, and Paige turned around and faced the horror that was standing in the doorway.

"Mr. S," Spinner said nervously. "What're you doing here?"

"I get a day off every month," Mr. Simpson said, "and I'm here to drop something off for Craig. You, however, are supposed to be in school."

"Yeah, but we all have to work after school today, and we wanted to see Craig and make sure he was doing okay," Paige said quickly.

"That's very nice of you, Paige," said Mr. Simpson. "You may go to school now."

Craig's friends sighed heavily and said goodbye to him before leaving the room.

"Craig, Joey wanted me to give this to you." Mr. Simpson handed Craig a small box. Craig opened it.

"It's my car keys!" Craig said happily. "But how did he...?" Mr. Simpson shrugged and Craig forgot about it within the next hour.

Joey visited a few hours later, during his lunch break.

"Joey, where did you get these keys?" Craig asked, holding them up.

"I got them from the police. They found them last night," said Joey.

"Oh, I see," Craig said.

"Yeah..."

"So...have you gotten to see Angie lately?" Craig inquired when he looked up.

"Angela...no. I've been working for the last few days. She's still at Caitlin's, though."

"It figures. You should get her back. Caitlin's evil."

"Craig, she's not evil."

"Yeah she is! You should've heard what she said to me!"

"I know that she said some rude things to you, but that doesn't make her evil."

"Yeah, okay. Whatever. Why don't you beg forgiveness and tell her that I'm leaving soon so she can come back and you can be one big happy family."

"I don't want to argue with you right now."

"You never want to argue with me."  
"That's right. But especially not now. You need to sleep."

"I know. I know. But I don't have any morphine to help put me to sleep. I can't just do these things on my own. And did you ever consider that maybe I don't want to sleep? I would rather have aspirin than morphine!

I want my bed moved by the window, where I can see a tree," Craig said in a very Hannibal-Lector-like voice. (Think Silence of the Lambs, where Dr. Lector is talking about where he wants to be transferred.)

"Well...I'll bring you a picture of a tree. Bye, Craig."

"Okay. Fine. Goodbye, Joey." Joey

He doubted that Craig just wanted it to sleep, but he wasn't going to confront him.

The nurse eventually got Craig some morphine and he quickly fell asleep.

The next day was the day that Craig would get to go home on bed rest. And when he woke up, he never remembered a time when he felt so..._bored. _He had to wait until Joey got off work...at seven.

He called Joey several times, but he kept saying the same thing—"Craig, just wait until I get there!"

Craig sat bored in the hospital room for hours. He wished that someone would come into the room and entertain him for a while until Joey got off work or until he fell asleep. Sadly, that never happened.

At 7:19 that night, Joey came into the room and Craig stood up instantly. Joey had brought a clean pair of jeans and a shirt for Craig. Craig got dressed quickly and put the shoes that had been sitting on the floor for a while on. "Let's go!" he said. And so it was done.

Upon arriving home, Joey handed Craig the video of the party. "I won't be able to sleep if I watch it now. I'll wait until tomorrow," Craig said quietly. He went up to his room and took his shirt off before crawling in to bed.

Days passed, and Craig tried to avoid watching the video. He hadn't gotten any calls from anyone.

On Sunday, while Joey was home, he put the video into the VCR and pressed 'Play'. He fast-forwarded through the first half-hour, and then when he saw himself, he stopped.

He watched as he kissed Marco...willingly.

He was instantly disgusted. His hands ran through his hair and his tongue slid into his mouth...Marco's. And Marco, being the sicko that he was, didn't try and stop him.

The camera followed Craig around for a few minutes, all up to him seeing Jay. Jay had something to do with it. Why didn't he remember any of this? Jay and Craig turned around, with the camera still following them. Jay drove off, with Craig in the passenger seat. He wondered why he didn't have his own car that night.

They drove down the road for several minutes, and then Craig knew what was about to happen. The side of Jay's car was slammed in to by the front of a Pepsi truck.

Watching himself moaning in agony, Craig rested his head on his hands, but continued watching the video.

He was taken to the hospital, and that was the end. Joey put his arm around Craig's shoulders, and Craig hugged himself. He sat there, the scene replaying in his mind hundreds of times.  
After a long, long while, he fell asleep. Joey laid him down on the couch and covered him up with a blanket.

Craig woke up to a loud knocking on the door. He looked around and saw that Joey must've already gone to work. "Come in!" Craig shouted from the couch, not wanting to get up and open the door himself. When the door opened, Caitlin walked in.

"Joey's not here," Craig said immediately.

"I didn't think he would be," Caitlin replied.

"Then why are you here? Surely not to see me," Craig muttered, turning onto his back.

"As a matter of fact, I am here to see you. How're you feeling?" asked Caitlin.

"I just got out of the hospital a few days ago. I'm feeling _bad_," Craig said. Caitlin closed the door behind her and walked to the couch, sitting down on the end. She leaned over and put her hand on Craig's forehead.

"Craig, you're burning up!" she said in a concerned voice.

"I have migraines, Caitlin. It's common to have fevers," Craig said flatly.

"I know. But you shouldn't have to put up with them." Caitlin went into the kitchen and got Craig some ice water. He hesitantly drank it.

"You know what's bad about being on bed rest for a week?" Craig asked.

"Having to put up with evil ex-half-step-moms that come up to your doorstep?" Caitlin said.

"No, not being able to see my friends. I miss the little idiots. I wonder what they're doing now..."

"Well, I should probably get going. You seem able enough to entertain yourself, and I'm just getting in the way of that." Caitlin stood up to leave. _  
_ "Sit," Craig commanded. "You're the only person that's bothered to come and visit me for days. It's just me and Joey."

Caitlin sat back down quickly.

"I'm hungry. Could you get me the phone?" Craig said, pointing over to the phone sitting at the table. Caitlin handed him the phone and he dialed a few numbers.

"Yeah, could I get a number seven and a number three?" he said. "Fifteen? Okay...thanks." He hung up and set the phone on the floor.

"Chinese food," he told Caitlin. "Joey let me use his credit card so I could get food during the day. Don't worry; I haven't gone on any wild shopping sprees or occupied a hotel room. Anyway, they said it would be ready in about fifteen minutes. You should go get it for me."

"What's wrong with your car?" Caitlin asked.

"It's not in my possession and I'm not really supposed to move around," Craig answered.

"Oh. Well, then. Okay. Um...I'll go in ten minutes. While we're waiting...what do you do when you're home alone all day?"

"Sleep. Drink water and juice and pop and order pizza. Sometimes, I play video games, but crashing into walls and other cars has kind of lost its thrill."

"It must get pretty lonely in here," Caitlin said.

"Yeah, it does. Every day."

"That's all you do?"

"Yep. Wanna listen to some music?" Craig got up from the couch and went over to the stereo that was on the floor. He picked up a Pink Floyd CD and popped it into the CD player. He turned it to "The Great Gig in the Sky".

"I got this CD the other day. Joey bought it for me. How's Angie?"

"She's fine. I dropped her off at school this morning. You don't want her back, do you?" Caitlin said jokingly.

"No, of course not. Never. Okay, yes. I do. I want Angela back."

"I'll bring her by after she gets out of school today."

"Okay."

"Um..."

"This is weird. How's life at your new apartment?" Craig asked, not even half-interested.

"Boring. Lonely. Sad. All the things keeping me from staying there," Caitlin said sadly.

"Oh. What are you gonna do about that?"

"I don't know. I want to talk to Joey, but he's..."

"Busy making a living. He'll be home at seven. Talk to him. Call him. Write him a letter! For God's sake, do something!" Craig cried desperately.

"Joey doesn't want to see or talk to me right now. Or ever, for that matter."

"That's exactly what I thought with Ash. And she talked to me...a week...or two...or seven...about a month-and-a-half ago," Craig said in a mock-serious voice.

"Well, that's the way you teenagers are. You're all just...so forgiving," Caitlin said, sighing.

"Not true. Ashley still hasn't forgiven Manny and probably never will. Either way, life sucks really bad."

"Yeah, it does. Someday, though...everyone's gonna be happy."

"When I get out of this life, I'll be happy. I want a life where I have my real parents, and friends, and...maybe a yellow lab or something..."

"That would be nice."  
"Do you remember when I was happy? Before I got diagnosed or before Jimmy got shot?" Craig asked Caitlin hopefully.   
"Yeah. I do," Caitlin responded quietly. "I mean, you were sad twenty-five percent of the time, mad another twenty-five percent of the time, happy thirty percent of the time, and all the other time, you were probably bored."

"I know. But I could've gone out and done something...I just didn't feel like it."

"Well, that was a long time ago. Archie told me you haven't been taking your medication," Caitlin said interestedly.

"You know what? I think it's time to go get the Chinese food," Craig said quickly, standing up.

"I'm not going until you tell me the truth," Caitlin yelled. She stood up and watched as Craig went in to the kitchen. He rummaged around in the cupboards for a few minutes. Caitlin was utterly confused. She had no idea why he was going through the cupboards or what he was looking for. "Craig, stop it," she said. Walking over to him, she grabbed his arm.

"Don't touch me!" Craig shouted, pulling his arm away. He rubbed his arm, which was still lightly bruised from the last few weeks. "Why the hell is it any of your business whether or not I'm on medication?"

"Because I care about you," Caitlin said sadly.

"It's not your job to care about me! I know you really don't give a crap. You're not Joey, you're not any of my friends, you're not Angie, and you're not my mom."

"There isn't going to be anyone there to be your mom, Craig! I'm sorry that she died but you have to get over it!"

"I AM over it! All I was TRYING to say was that she was the only woman who could ever care about me the way Joey does now! You're not my mom and you don't care about me!"

"Fine, then. I'm leaving," Caitlin said. She turned and went to the door. "Just know that I really do care about you." Craig waited until Caitlin had gotten into her car and left before calling Joey.

"Joey, I ordered some Chinese food, could you go get it for me?" Craig asked as soon as Joey said 'hello'. Joey told him he'd go retrieve it for him, and he arrived several minutes later.

"Finally!" Craig cried happily, standing up and rushing to Joey.

"Sit down," Joey commanded. "You might hurt yourself."

"I've been walking around all day, Joey. I haven't hurt myself yet."

Joey looked sternly at Craig. He handed him a pair of chopsticks and a box of rice. Craig opened it and began rapidly eating the rice.

"A little hungry, are we, Craig?" Joey asked, slowly eating his own rice. Craig nodded.

When he'd finished his rice, Joey was only halfway done with his. Craig reached for the chow mein, quickly eating that, too.

A few more Chinese food boxes of food, and Craig was moaning on the couch. "My stomach..." he said.

"You know, Craig, it really makes me wonder WHY your stomach hurts. It couldn't have anything to do with eating five boxes of food, could it?" Joey said tauntingly, slowly eating his own food.

"Nope," Craig said, laughing. "Not in a million years."

-FRIDAY, THE DOT-

Craig was happily washing dishes in the back room of the Dot. He was glad to be working again, and was going to TRY and rebuild what he had before. On his break, he talked to Spinner, and any of his friends that came in during the short break. He talked to Emma and Manny when they walked in. They seemed indifferent and happy. "So what's going on with you two?" Craig asked.

"Nothing much," Emma said. "Me and Manny are going to see a movie."

"Ooh, which one?"

"Don't know yet," Manny replied. "We'll find out when we go."

"That's what I usually do." The two girls laughed and ordered milkshakes.

"I gotta get back to washing dishes," Craig sighed. "Um...I'll talk to you two later." Craig hesitantly went back to washing dishes.

At the end of the night, when he and Spinner were sitting at the counter, they started talking about the party.

"Marco's kissed me before...ew. He didn't even try to stop me. That's just...sick," Craig said, frowning in disgust.

"Marco's a pretty sick little monkey," Spinner agreed. "I never should've let you and Jay leave."  
"Spinner, look at me, I'm pretty much unharmed...except for the fact that I had to get fourteen stitches on my stomach, but...that's beside the point."

"It's not you I'm pissed off at myself for," Spinner said. His expression changed and he looked solemn.

"What happened to Jay?" Craig asked after a moment of silence. Spinner slowly turned his head and looked at Craig.

"Craig..." he said quietly. "Jay died."

**_What? Could you kindly repeat that, Spinner? I don't believe I heard you._**

"Huh?" Craig said in disbelief.

"Jay's dead."

_**That's what I thought you said. **_

"I have to go," Craig said quickly. He stood up and jogged out to his car, which he had just gotten back the day before.

"Craig! Wait!" Spinner called. But he was too late. Craig had already gone.

Craig drove as fast as he could home. He halted in front of the house, got out of the car, and ran upstairs. He quietly closed his door behind him, locking it, and crawled into his closet.

**A/N: MUHAHA! I HAVE FINISHED! I WILL MAKE IT LONGER NEXT TIME! THE NEXT CHAPTER IS CALLED 'BREAKING THE HABIT'! MUHAHAHAHAHA!**


	21. Part 17: Breaking the Habit

Part 17: Breaking the Habit

**A/N: Now that Jay's out of the way...No, I'm kidding...but he really is out of the way...This is probably going to be the most intense chapter yet because it has a lot of dark parts...I know that a lot of you liked "Things I'll Never Say" because...yeah, I know, I liked it too. ANYWAY, all you goth-y people who like dark things...this one's for you. NO, not really, I wrote it for myself. Basically, Craig's driving himself insane (not literally) and he's doing a lot of weird things because his buddy is dead...so yeah...uh...just like, read it...**

"Craig, come on!" Joey called, pounding on Craig's bedroom door.

On the inside of the room, Craig huddled deeper into the corner of the closet. Joey didn't know why he was acting like this; he hadn't heard of Jay's death yet. He had gotten home just an hour earlier and had not left his room since. Finally, Joey gave up and went to bed; he wasn't going to spend the rest of the night trying to get Craig out of his room. Whatever it was could wait until tomorrow.

When 'tomorrow' was 'today', Joey was, again, standing outside Craig's room, trying to get him to come out. He didn't. That was why Joey called Sean. But, Sean wasn't home; Ellie was. Ellie could help.

She got there as fast as she could. Gently, she knocked on the door. "Craig?" Ellie said in her softest voice. "Are you okay?"

No answer.

"Craig!" she shouted. Still, no answer.

She pulled a piece of paper out of her purse and wrote "What's wrong?" on it. She pushed it under the door. A few minutes later, it was pushed back under. The three words that were written on it burned through her heart. "I miss Jay."

Ellie was at loss for words; she didn't know what she could tell him to make him feel better about Jay dying. Jay must've meant more to him than Ashley ever did, because Craig didn't do this when she went to London.

"Craig, listen," Ellie said carefully. "I know that nothing I could ever say could make you feel better about any of this, but...I want to help you. Will you open the door? Please?"

Probably after thinking it over for a few minutes, Craig unlocked the door and Ellie stepped quietly into the room. Darkness enveloped the room, and she wondered how he could've read the note she had passed him minutes earlier. Her question was answered, however, when she saw a short beam of light that peeked in from the side of the blanket that had covered the window. She couldn't see Craig anywhere; she was careful stepping around the floor; she did not want to accidentally kick him and make him feel worse than he already did. After a minute or two, Ellie was ready to simply turn the light on, but then she remembered: he wants it dark for a reason.

"Craig? Where are you?" she asked. It was getting kind of creepy in here. She was half-expecting him to jump out of nowhere and give her a near-death experience. Never happened. She didn't hear any noise, except for the sound of breath—her own. A feeling of fear entered the pit of her stomach and her heart beat faster. "Craig!" Nothing. No shuffle, no breath, no words. Nothing.

A thought struck her and she realized that she was missing one place to check: the closet. She felt around the walls until she found the closet and she slowly fell to her knees and crawled inside. Her hand groped around on the inside of the closet until it collided with something warm. It was Craig's arm.

"Do you want something?" Ellie asked Craig. Craig was not sure why Ellie was asking or what she meant. He wasn't going to tell her anything. Ellie sighed and handed him the paper that they'd written on. Craig wrote one word on it: "Paint."

Now Ellie was really confused. She wasn't sure where to find this paint that Craig has a sudden urge to have. But, she knew what she _had_ to do. She had to find paint. "Okay," Ellie said. She patted Craig's shoulder and stood up to leave.

As Craig heard the door close to his room, he waited for a minute and then got up to lock it; he couldn't risk Joey coming into the room and bombarding him with questions. Imagining the scenario that would probably happen if he let Joey in, he rested the side of his face against the door for a minute. He felt like he was about to fall asleep, and he got onto his bed and slept. It was some of the worst sleep he'd ever had. All he could think about was Jay, and his dream was worse.

It was he and Jay, at the old house, but not doing drugs; no, not drugs. Talking. Just talking. The subject of Craig's parents came up. Suddenly, Jay said, "_It's your fault, you know_." Craig was shocked.

"_My fault_?" he said. "_What're you talking about?"_

"_Your parents dying," _Jay answered._ "It's your fault. Everything that's ever happened in your presence is your fault. And now I'm dead. That's your fault, too." _

Craig woke up quickly. A thousand thoughts ran through his head.

Was it his fault that Jay was dead?

No, it couldn't have been.

At the same time...

What was he thinking? What happened was a freak accident. It could've happened to anyone.

But it didn't.

It happened to Jay.

What if...?

What if Craig had driven himself to Spinner's? Would he be dead himself?

What if he hadn't asked Jay for the ride home? Could this be all his fault? Jay was dead...

Craig stood up and went to the window. He pulled the blanket covering it to the side, opened it and leaned out. It was dark and cold outside...that was how he felt inside. He got back inside, and went to his nightstand. Opening the drawer, he felt around for the almost-full pack of cigarettes that he knew was sitting alone. He picked it up, along with a lighter that he had to rummage around to find some more, and went back to the window. Lighting a cigarette, he leaned himself out the window once again; the air felt good. He couldn't see any light, even the moon, because it was cloudy outside.

He smoked half the cigarette and then put it out on the window sill. He moved away from the window and sat on the floor in silence for hours.

Eventually, he fell asleep without realizing it and woke up to someone knocking on his bedroom door. Standing up from the floor, he walked to the door and listened for a voice to recognize. Ellie, of course. "I have the paint!" she called, continuing to knock. Craig slowly unlocked the door and opened it. He winced when the light hit his eyes. Light. Something he hadn't seen since Friday. He looked at Ellie, who was holding a box and some paintbrushes. She handed him the box and he took it, setting it down next to the bed. He turned around and was almost stabbed in the chest by the ends of the paintbrushes that Ellie was holding out. Craig took those, too, and tossed them onto the bed carelessly.

He stood in the doorway awkwardly and looked at Ellie. Unexpectedly, she hugged him loosely, and Craig hesitated for a minute before hugging her back. Ellie had no idea what Craig was going through right now. Craig and Jay were nearly inseparable; they were always up to something. Ellie didn't know how the two connected, but in their special little ways, they did. She wondered how they became friends in the first place. Of course, some things would always remain a mystery.

Craig pulled back and looked at Ellie, then quickly turned back and closed the door in her face. Now Ellie knew that something wasn't going right here. But, she was going to have to embrace his problem and let it go; it wasn't her responsibility to try and make everything right. It was Joey's. Still, she couldn't tell Joey what to do or how to treat Craig.

Inside the room, Craig was tearing the paint out of the boxes. He didn't even care what color he had. He took down all the posters from the wall, carefully rolled them up, and put them in the top part of his closet. He then started painting on the walls. In the dark. He had no exact locations or straight lines. He just knew that he was putting things in the right spot. Either that, or he didn't care. Whichever one was happening, it might make one question the sanity of a certain bipolar seventeen-year-old with no real parents; a seventeen-year-old who thought he'd grown numb to anything that could happen to him for the rest of his life. But, no. He'd grown attached to Jay, and he died, too. Worst case scenario now: suicide. Actually, for Craig, that was the BEST case scenario. He wanted to die. But he couldn't. Not now.

He suddenly realized that he was driving himself crazy. But he still didn't care. He knew that he'd painted twelve percent of the room with every random color he had. He didn't know what he was putting on his walls, nor did he want to know. He'd been painting for hours, and all he'd accomplished covering was half of one wall. He looked over at the clock. It was eight at night. Already? Twelve hours, he'd had the paintbrush in his hand.

He continued to paint into the late hours of the night. A strong wind that blew at around six the next morning tore the blanket from the window. Light poured in about an hour later. Craig barely had time to notice; he was busy painting. He'd moved from the place behind the bed to the door in a very slow manner. He lost track of time as he painted. He felt weak and wasn't sure why, but figured that the feeling would fade soon so he kept going.

Growing tired, he set the paintbrush down and stretched out on the floor. He rested his head on his arms and fell asleep on the carpet. Just as he had the last time he slept, he dreamt about Jay, blaming him for his death. It was exactly like the one before. Craig woke up again and lay quietly on the floor for a moment. Then, he got up and painted again.

Finally, he was done. The light had come and gone through his window twice, and he was done. He'd gotten all around the room with the paint and now he felt satisfied. Still, something left him feeling empty. But not emotionally empty; physically empty. His mouth was longing for something, but he wasn't exactly sure what it was.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on his door. "Craig!" Sean shouted. "Open the door!" Craig didn't know who he should listen to: Sean or himself. Hmm...this was a hard decision...Ah, who could it hurt? He walked over to the door and opened it.

Sean expected to have to break the door off the hinges, but no, Craig simply opened it. "We need to talk," Sean said, grabbing Craig's forearm and pulling him out of the room. Craig didn't verbally protest, but he meekly pulled back into his room. Sean forcefully drew him forward and Craig couldn't do much else. He allowed Sean to lead him out of the house. However, Sean didn't seem angry. On the contrary, he looked...distraught.

They went to the Dot, got some coffee, and sat down at a table. Spinner, who was heading to a table with some drinks, looked at Craig. "Hey, Craig," he said. Craig looked up and saw the drinks on the tray. Spinner stopped and watched as Craig stood and picked up one of the drinks and downed it in several seconds.

"You have to pay for that," Spinner said. Craig shrugged and took the other drink. He drank it, slower than last time, but still in a fast manner.

Spinner sighed heavily and went back behind the counter to go get more drinks for the people who had originally ordered them. Craig sat back down across from Sean, who was looking surprised at what Craig had just done.

"What's wrong with you?" Sean asked a minute later. Craig couldn't answer. Not now. He hadn't realized anything so far. He was trying to figure everything out in this small amount of time, but he couldn't. Sean looked at him and could tell he was struggling to find an answer for his question. "Craig," Sean said quickly. Craig glanced up at him and stopped thinking. "Forget about it. Really. You're gonna end up hurting yourself."

"Ellie talks about you nonstop. How worried she is about you, how sad it is about what you're going through...blah, blah, blah. Jay's parents are taking this better than you are, and that I don't understand."

Craig said nothing. What could he say? He couldn't tell Sean anything; he would just come up with more questions that he couldn't answer. He stood up and left the Dot. He walked home in the cold. He was wearing just his shirt and jeans. It was pouring down rain, and he had no jacket.

At last, he reached the house and quietly went inside. He ignored Joey and ran upstairs, locking his bedroom door behind him. Suddenly, he realized what he had not realized before.

He had to talk to someone.

But who? Everyone was probably mad at him for killing Jay. He knew that he was going to have to let it out somehow. But Joey had given up hope in ever talking to the sane Craig again, ever seeing him.

He was quiet, being lost in his own thoughts. He rocked back and forth on his bed, holding his knees to his chest. A loud knock on the door startled him and he fell off onto the floor. Did someone want to talk to him? Maybe the world didn't seem so hopeless after all! Maybe there was hope that someone might want to communicate with him! Excited, he turned the lock on his door and opened it.

His happy moment faded when he saw Joey standing in front of him. He turned away from the door and went back to his bed. Joey followed him inside and stood next to the bed.

"Sean just called. He told me everything. Why didn't you tell me that Jay was dead?" Joey asked. Craig was quiet, but he thought about what he was supposed to be trying to do—speak.

He was extremely quiet and still for a minute, and then he inhaled, slowly letting out the breath.

"Because I didn't think you'd care," Craig said. It was the first time he'd spoken in days, even to himself, and his voice was raspy. Joey sighed sadly and shook his head.

"It's not that I don't care," said Joey, "it's that I don't get it." Craig turned around and faced Joey.

"What's not to get? Isn't it obvious? Jay is DEAD. I was friends with him. When you're friends with someone and they die, it is BAD," Craig shouted.

"That's not what I meant. I don't get why you miss him. You were fine until you started hanging around Jay," Joey stated.

"I liked hanging out with Jay."

"You did drugs."

"I liked doing drugs."

"Do you have any idea how dangerous doing drugs is when you're bipolar? You could lapse into a coma! You could die!"

"Again, _I liked doing drugs."_ Craig looked into Joey's eyes, and Joey could tell that he was being serious.

"Why?" Craig thought about Joey's question for a minute, and then answered.

"It just...gave me a displace from this hellhole of a life that I'm living," he said. He looked away from Joey and looked at his hands. Joey's heart sank and he sat down on the bed next to Craig.

"It's okay. I understand," Joey said calmly. He put his arm around Craig's shoulder. Craig put his head on Joey's shoulder and sighed.

"So...I'm not in trouble?" Craig asked after a few moments of peace.

"No, no, of course not. I mean, if you like being grounded for four weeks, then, no, of course you're not in trouble. You should enjoy the vacation you're gonna get looking at this house for the next month," Joey said. Craig was shocked.

"What?" he cried. "Grounded?"

"Yep. Better get used to it." Oh, well. Craig was just glad that he hadn't been arrested. A year of being grounded was better than a night in jail. He was also happy that it was only four weeks, and NOT a year. Joey got up and left the room, laughing.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Joey and Craig were spending the entire day cleaning the house. Joey got the upstairs, and Craig got the downstairs, which meant that Joey had to clean Craig's bedroom. What a nightmare.

He entered the room, and was almost frightened by what was painted on the walls. It was...blood. And sick things. Guns. Knives. Dead people. Joey called Craig up to the room immediately.

Craig came in. "What?" he asked.

"What is...all of this?" said Joey, still in disbelief at what was on his son's walls.

"Uh...I'm not really sure. I barely remember doing any of it," Craig said casually. "But, I do know one thing. I was driving myself insane in that room, and...it's good that Sean called you when he did."

"Okay, that's good enough. You can return to your cleaning downstairs." Craig was happy that Joey had let THAT matter go. He went back downstairs to finish cleaning the kitchen.

Joey began cleaning the bedroom that Craig slept in every night and went through the dressers. Craig had obviously tossed a pair of jeans into one of the drawers after he'd already worn them. Joey raided the pockets.

He found a small orange pill bottle. Medications. But, wait...weren't Craig's medications downstairs? On the kitchen table? He looked at the label. "Albert Manning"? What...? "To be taken no more than twice daily and only when you can devote a full night's sleep..." Sleeping pills? These weren't Craig's medications. These were his father's. His father's sleeping pills. And why...? He didn't exactly KNOW why, but he knew how he could find out.

He went downstairs, holding the bottle. Craig was just now putting the broom away. "Joey! Check it out! It's all shiny and clean!" he said happily.

"Craig, exactly what kind of 'displace' were you trying to get?" Joey demanded, holding the bottle out.

Craig snatched the bottle from Joey's hand and turned away. "Well?"

"I...I just wanted the option open," Craig said, almost inaudibly.

"This is not going to be an option anymore," Joey said firmly. He took the pills back from Craig and looked at him. Craig understood immediately what Joey was saying.

He followed Joey into the bathroom and stared at the toilet. Joey handed him the bottle of pills. Craig started shaking nervously and didn't know what he should do. Joey watched him carefully and Craig closed his eyes.

He knelt down in front of the toilet and slowly opened the bottle. He took one of the pills and dropped it into the water. He glanced up at Joey hopefully, but Joey was still expecting him to flush them all down.

He dumped in half the bottle within the next hour. He was surprised that Joey was still standing there, waiting. He expected...no, he wanted him to leave so that he could keep what was left and hide them better. Still, Joey stood. Craig's knees were beginning to hurt from kneeling there on the tiled floor, and he was growing tired. His hands shook once again, and he held the bottle two feet from the water, and tipped it. The remaining fifteen pills fell in, and Craig felt like he was about to die. He wanted to. Oh, how he wanted to. But, no, not anymore. Not now that his last chance was floating around in a toilet.

But, wait! He could still take them out of the water! Um...maybe not. Joey grabbed Craig's hand and put it on the handle. Craig looked up at him and pushed down. He watched as his last way out was taken to the sewers. He didn't notice it, but tears formed in his eyes. He stood up, and Joey looked at him proudly. He didn't smile, however. No. It was more of the look of pride that a soldier would get from his commander. It was the "You did the right thing" look.

"Let's stop cleaning for today," Joey said simply. Craig nodded.

But what Craig had just done had changed his life.

Actually, it was more like he had started it.

He hadn't been able to live the way he could now—with no way out. He would have to put up with everything that life threw at him.

And with a little help, he might be able to make it.

A/N: That SOUNDS like the end. You wanna know why? Because it is! That's the end of the series! Hope you all enjoyed it! Farewell, farewell.

No, jk you muffins. I wouldn't END it like that. I have five more chapters...the next one is "All About the Wordplay", and the one AFTER that is "I'll Keep You My Dirty Little Secret". I haven't thought the other three through. ANYWAY, I KNOW that those aren't the ACTUAL names of the songs, but I wanted to put the line that the lyrics are on. All About the Wordplay is about how PMS makes a comeback for a talent show, minus Terri, and the band faces a little bit of a problem: THEY NEED LYRICS! And who better to write them than Ashley? But, Paige wants a new song, one about abuse. What does Ashley know about abuse? She was never hit. Ever. However, what DOESN'T Craig know about abuse? He knows how it felt—he felt betrayed, hated...Now Ashley needs Craig's help to write a song fit for Paige, but can they handle it?

And I CAN'T tell you what "I'll Keep You My Dirty Little Secret" is about BECAUSE if I did, then ya'll would know what happens in "All About the Wordplay". DUH! Anyway, REVIEW! DO IT NOW!


	22. Part 18: All About the Wordplay

Part 18: All About the Wordplay

A/N: Muhaha! It's on to chapter 22! Woo-hoo! I just wanna say that I've come a LONG way since the first chapter...yes...With the help of ALL of you people, I think it's been molded into one almost-perfect story. My throat hurts right now SO bad...every time I swallow...I'm going in for an audition for a band on December 11**th**, and I'm HOPING TO GOD that my throat gets better SOON! I don't know if you've all heard this song before, but Cassie Steele's song "Blue Bird"...ahh...I can sing that SO well...teehee... "I talk to bluebird, she said 'Why walk when you can fly?' She told me, 'Baby, life tastes better when you're high...'" That's SO awesome...ANYWAY, here's the new chapter:

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

-**Cafeteria**-

"Ash, come sit with us," said Paige, patting the empty seat next to her. Ashley glanced over at Paige and paused for a second before taking up the offer and sitting down.

"Tell her, Ellie!" Hazel said excitedly.

Ellie smiled and looked over at Ashley. "Okay, okay, okay," she said. "Degrassi's First Annual Talent Contest is next month. Paige, Hazel, and I have decided to reunite Hell Hath No Fury for one last show. We want you to join us."

Ashley stared at Ellie. Accept or not to accept...accept. "Sure, that'd be great," said Ashley, nodding.

"Good," Paige said in a businesswoman-like tone. "We have music...all we need is lyrics."

"What do you want the song to be about?" Ashley asked. Paige thought for a moment.

"Something real. You can write real, right? Hazel, help me here..." Paige mumbled.

"How about abuse?" Hazel suggested. The other three turned and looked at her. "What? It's real. We haven't done it before."

"Not everyone is abused," said Ashley.

"Not everyone is raped, either," Paige said coldly. She had a point. "Besides, it's not about it happening to everyone, it's about happening to the person who wrote it. You didn't experience what 'Poor Thing' was about; you just wrote it."

"No, but I did experience Craig cheating on me and I wrote that song," Ashley snapped.

"Craig...Craig..." Paige muttered. "That's not a bad idea."

"What're you talking about?"

"Duh! Craig's a musician! He experienced abuse. Partner with him and you can write the song together."

"No. I'm not doing it."

"Ash, you're either in or you're out. If you want to be **in**, then you'll go **out** and ask Craig for help writing the song," Hazel said.

"Fine, I'll do it. Where is he, anyway?"

"He's at home. He's sick in bed. Headaches," Ellie answered.

"How's he been doing otherwise?" asked Paige curiously.

"Better. A lot better. Actually, on Saturday, the two of us are going to paint his room. We looked at paint the other day and he's gonna paint his walls black and then cover them with a bunch of posters."

"Sounds like fun," said Hazel.

"It will be."

**-Craig's House-**

Joey had just gotten home for his lunch break. He walked in the door and expected Craig to be sitting up watching TV like he usually would when he stayed home from school. But, no. Craig was on the couch, but he was sleeping, his face shoved into a pillow, and one arm hanging limply from the couch. Joey shook him from his slumber and Craig stirred and looked up.

"Hey, Joe," he said groggily. "What time is it?"

"Sometime around twelve," Joey answered. "Sleep well?"

"My headache went away," Craig said simply. He sat upright and yawned.

"Want something for lunch?" Joey asked as he went into the kitchen.

"Soup," Craig said instantly, standing up and following Joey. "Did you make any sales yet?"

"Nope," Joey said.

"Want me to help out?"

"Sure. Um...you can come with me after lunch."

"Okay." Craig watched interestedly as Joey heated the soup, as if he'd never seen anything like that being done before. At last, it was done, and Joey gave Craig a bowl filled with hot soup. Craig happily took it and sat down at the table.

"So how've you been doing lately?" Joey asked.

"Fine," Craig said coolly. "Fine. I mean, I'm doing okay in school, and I've been taking the medications and stuff..."

"That's good," said Joey.

"Yeah, I know." They laughed and continued eating lunch.

When they were done, Joey and Craig got into Joey's car and drove to the car lot. Craig spent most of the time cleaning the cars, but several times, he persuaded people into buying them. By the end of the day, Craig had single-handedly sold three cars. That put Joey in a good mood, and they decided that they'd go out for dinner that night.

After the celebratory dinner, in which Angie got a balloon, Craig checked the messages on the phone. Telemarketer, telemarketer, Caitlin...Ashley. Ashley. Hmm...Ashley. What did she want? "_Craig, this is Ashley, um...I just called to tell you that there's something I need to ask you, so call me back when you can. Bye._"

"Okay, that's kinda creepy," Craig said, turning and walking away from the phone.

"What?" Joey asked as he locked the door behind him.

"Ashley called when we were out and wants me to call her back. Yeah, right."

"Why don't you? She might have something important to say."

"Because...I can't."

"Why?"

"I just can't, Joey!"

"Craig, listen. The night you got in the accident, Ashley came over and talked to me for a while. She was worried about you! Just call her. Please?"

"I'll call her tomorrow," Craig snapped, walking toward the stairs.

"No you won't."

"Yeah, I will."

"Call her now." Craig turned and faced Joey.

"I do not want to talk to her," he whispered.

"Why not?"

"It hurts." Joey patted Craig's shoulder supportively and told him to go up to bed. Craig nodded. Now, he wasn't totally lying to Joey; it did sort of hurt to talk to Ashley. The main reason he didn't want to talk to her was because she always talked about medications and shrinks and all of the other things Craig could only stand talking to Joey about.

So, he decided not to call her. He did as he did every night before falling asleep: smoke a quarter of a cigarette, take off his shirt, and fall asleep. He was lucky Joey hadn't found the cigarettes when he was cleaning the room. He was scarily falling in Jay's footsteps; he still did drugs, he still smoked...but he hadn't been to the ravine lately...actually, the only time they had spent at the ravine was spent getting drugs.

Either way, he knew that he shouldn't be doing the things he was. It didn't matter. He liked doing the things he was doing...ecstasy, weed, even the occasional cocaine...but Joey didn't know about that. Joey didn't know the reason why Craig was always coughing, or the reason why he never had any extra money.

The Next Morning...

"Craig!"

Craig rolled over onto his side from the position that he was in while he was sleeping peacefully, however now that wasn't the case.

"What?" he shouted downstairs tiredly.

"Get down here!" Joey sounded angry, and Craig wondered why. He buried his face back into his pillow and groaned. He dreaded getting yelled at now, at seven-thirty in the morning. Weakly, he pushed himself up on his arms and got out of bed. He put the shirt on that he'd been wearing the night before and went downstairs.

"What is it?" he asked irritatedly.

"I just got a call from Snake. He says that you smell like cigarette smoke at school. Is there any reason why he would say that?"

"Nope," Craig answered. "But I heard that there's a lot of people doing crack these days, and—"

"Don't even say that!" Joey cried. "Where are they?"

At first, Craig was confused and didn't know what Joey meant. Suddenly, it struck him. Joey wanted the cigarettes. Craig watched the cat, who was crawling on the table, nervously. Joey pushed on Craig's shoulder and Craig inhaled sharply and turned away from him. Great, now Joey had hurt Craig's feelings without meaning to. "Craig, I-" Joey started.

Craig started upstairs and Joey followed slowly behind him. Craig was standing in front of his nightstand. He went to Joey and handed him the rest of the pack of cigarettes, which wasn't very much, and pushed past him. Craig must've been expecting a long, boring lecture. He went into the garage and sat on the couch quietly. Joey entered a few minutes later. It was cold in there; very cold. He had no idea why anyone, especially Craig, would be in this icy garage.

"How long?" Joey asked. Craig stood up and walked to the only wall that wasn't covered with something. He leaned him arms up on it.

"About a month," he replied.

"Is it...?"

"No. I'm not a chain smoker, Joey. You have to trust me."

"Trust you? You lied to me and you want me to trust you?" Joey said loudly.

"Fine. I'm not saying you have to; I'm asking you to. Please."

"You have two minutes."

"Okay, first of all, it's only one every four days...I mean, it's not that I smoke one every four days, it's...one lasts me four days. I don't sit in my room all day smoking, and I don't cut class to go smoke. I've been taking my medications for about as long as I've been smoking, and...I can stop. I promise, I can. You can start yelling at me now."

"I'm not going to yell at you. Why should I? This is just something that teens do. I understand. You can have one last cigarette."

"Seriously?" Craig asked, looking up from the wall.

"Hell, no. If your mother was here and she found out that I was giving you cigarettes she'd beat me to a bloody pulp." Craig laughed sadly and watched Joey. "You don't have to go to school today if you don't want to; part of your new quit-smoking therapy."

Craig shook his head. "No, I have things to do and people to see. Thanks for the offer, though."

"Okay. You might want to start getting ready, then."

Craig yawned and he and Joey left the garage. Craig went upstairs and took a shower. When he got out, he put clean clothes on and went downstairs. He sat on the couch next to Angie.

"Hi, Craig," she said. "I'm tired."

"I'm tired, too," Craig told her. "Too many wild, late night parties."

"You didn't go to any parties," Angie said.

"Sure I did. I just didn't want to make any noise, so I snuck through my window to go to bed."

Angie gasped. "Does Daddy know?" she said.

"Yeah, of course. Where else would I get my fake IDs?" Craig answered.

"You don't have a fake ID!" Angie cried. Craig tickled her beyond the point of mercy and stopped when she was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

"Okay, okay, I think it's time for school," Craig said.

"Can I ride in your car today, Craig? Please?" Angela begged.

"I don't know...what do you think, Joey?" said Craig, looking at Joey as he put on his jacket.

"Craig, you're already running late as it is..." Joey said.

Craig and Angie both gave Joey sad faces and Joey laughed. "Go ahead. But don't be late for school, Craig."

"I won't! I'll go top speed to get Angie to school! To the Beamer-Mobile!" Craig said triumphantly, leading Angie out to the car. He made sure that she was wearing her seatbelt and started the car. He drove Angie to school.

The little kids that were running around the front of the school stared at the shiny, black convertible in front of them. Angie got out and everyone watched her carefully. She turned around. "Bye, Craig," she said.

"Bye, Angie," Craig replied. Angie closed the door and Craig sped off to his own school. He parked across the street from the school and ran up the stairs. He had thirty seconds until the bell rang. He ignored his locker and ran to MI. Half a second after he sat down, the bell rang. He sighed in relief.

"Right on time," Mr. Simpson said. Then, he started that day's lesson.

**Lunch...**

Spinner, Jimmy, Sean, Marco, Ellie, and Craig all sat at a table, laughing at something Jimmy had just said. The laughter ended when Craig looked up and saw Ashley standing before them. "What?" he demanded. Everyone looked up, making Ashley blush.

"Craig, I was just wondering if, maybe...we could talk," Ashley said nervously. Craig looked at her incredulously.

"I didn't call you back last night for a reason," he said flatly.

"I know, but it's really important..."

"I don't care if it's important. I don't want to talk to you. End of conversation."

"Craig, be nice!" Ellie scolded.

"Why should I be, El?"

"Because Ash is a human being and she has feelings!" Ellie shouted. She stood up beside Ashley.

"I'm a human being, too, and I have feelings, and _I feel_ like I shouldn't be forced to do anything that you tell me to."

"Well, I wasn't forcing you to do anything. I would appreciate it if you would shut up and listen to what she has to say."

"Ellie, since you put it that way, no. I have places to go and people to see."

"Craig, the more you put it off, the more she's gonna keep talking," Jimmy said.

Craig sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. He did NOT want to talk to Ashley, but everyone made it perfectly clear that he should. "Ellie, sit. Ashley, come," he ordered. The girls did not appreciate being spoken to like dogs, but they complied anyway and Craig led Ashley out to the hall. They walked for a while until they found a vacant bench and decided to sit there.

Craig was silent for a few minutes. "So, what's goin' on?" he asked quietly.

"Well," Ashley began, "I'm sure you heard about the talent contest." Craig nodded. "Me, Paige, Ellie, and Hazel are reuniting...um...Hell Hath No Fury." Again, Craig was silent. "And Paige wanted me to ask you...to help me...write a song."

Craig nervously ran a hand through his hair. "About what?" he asked.

Ashley coughed. "Abuse," she muttered.

"You want me to help your band, which you put together for the lone purpose of getting revenge on me, to write a song about something I've tried to forget for three years?" Craig said in half-disbelief.

"Yeah."

"I am going to think about that for a while, and...I will get back to you on that."

Ashley now figured that she'd blown any chance of getting help from Craig now; he was going to refuse to speak to her about his past. He had a good reason. He didn't even talk to Sean about it, and he and Sean were practically brothers.

Craig went home that day in deep thought.

Joey and Angie got home at around six; they had been out shopping. Angie went upstairs to put her new things away, and Joey sat down next to Craig on the couch. "Have a good day today?" he asked.

"Not really," Craig said truthfully.

"What happened?" said Joey.

"Ash wants me to help her and her band write this song...about abuse. And, as you know, I don't really like talking about it, and..."

"Did you tell her no?"

"I told her I'd think about it," said Craig. "And I have been. All day. I mean, I've been trying to forget about everything that happened, but it's pretty much impossible. There's always something around that reminds me of something I did or something that happened."

"I'm here...if you wanna talk," Joey said calmly.

"I know," Craig whispered. His eyes met with Joey's for a split second, and then he glanced at the wall. "I have a load of homework, so...I'm gonna go upstairs and...yeah."

Joey nodded and Craig rushed up to his room.

He rummaged through his binder and found all of his homework. He laid it out on the floor and winced. "This crap is gonna keep me up all night," he mumbled. Still, he pulled out a pen and started on it.

By 8:30, he was finished. He sighed in relief and stuffed it back into his binder. After stretching for a moment, he went downstairs to get water. "You want some dinner, Craig?" Joey asked.

"No," Craig answered. "I'm tired and I'm going to bed in three minutes."

"It's not even nine yet," Joey said.

"Yeah, well, if I go to bed now and wake up late tomorrow morning, then I get a lot of sleep that would be useful at the moment," Craig explained. Joey nodded in agreement, and they said goodnight to each other.

Craig went back to his room and fell asleep with only his head and arms on the bed itself, while the rest of him was on the floor. He woke up the next morning with his neck aching. "I'm never sleeping like that again," he vowed.

He sat down at the table and stretched his arms. "How'd you sleep last night, Joey?"

"I didn't," Joey answered. "I was up watching TV all night."

"Lucky!" Craig said. (Think Napoleon Dynamite.) "I was too tired to stay up and watch TV."

"I know that feeling," said Joey.

"Yeah, well, Mr. Old, you know what would make me really happy?"

"What?"

"If you would make me breakfast."

"Why should I?" Joey said, standing up from the couch.

"I'll love you forever," Craig said.

"What do you want?"

"I don't care...just something edible."

"Pancakes, then," said Joey simply.

"Yay," Craig mumbled. Just then, they heard a screech that sounded like that of a cat from outside. They rushed out to see what it was, and sure enough, Smokey lay dead on the street.

One thought struck them at the same time: Angie. Joey ran and got a shovel and picked the cat up from the street. He then dug a deep hole in the far corner of the yard and they put the cat inside.

They dropped the shovel in the wet grass and went back inside silently. They washed their hands several times and Joey continued making Craig breakfast.

"Daddy!" Angie called from the top of the stairs. She trotted down merrily and hugged Joey. "Have you seen the kitty?"

Joey sighed sadly. "Angie...Smokey went to Kitty Heaven." Angie was quiet and then she started crying. Joey hugged her tightly. "Do you want me to get you another kitty?" Angie nodded. "Okay, we'll go get one tomorrow." Angela smiled through her tears and Joey set her down on the floor. Then, she rushed over to Craig and sat on his lap.

"Hi, Craig!" she said. "Daddy's going to get me a new kitty tomorrow!"

"That's great, Angie," Craig said.

"Okay, Craig, here you go," Joey said, setting a plate down on the table. He poured him a glass of juice and set it next to the plate.

Craig thanked him and ate his breakfast slowly. When he finished, he washed the dishes and put them in the drain board. The phone began to ring and he dried his hands on his jeans and answered it.

"Hello? Hold on. Joey, it's Caitlin." Joey looked up at him in disbelief. Craig handed him the phone and he talked to Caitlin for hours. Meanwhile, Craig was in his room, being bored as usual. Then he remembered that he and Ellie were supposed to paint the room today. He laid newspaper on the floor and picked up his cell phone.

"Ellie, are you coming over?" Craig asked. "...Okay, see you then." Craig was amazed that Ellie had forgiven him at all for the day before; she was usually less forgiving.

When she arrived, she appeared solemn and didn't seem keen on talking.

"Listen, El, I'm sorry...about yesterday, and, um...I mean, I don't know what's wrong with me, and..."

"Craig. It's okay. Really. I'm just tired. It's not your fault I'm in this mood."

"Oh. Well, I...I'm still sorry. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. It was just...Ash being there, and..."

"It's okay. Calm down. I was up late last night."

"Still. Am I forgiven?" Craig asked hopefully.

"You've been forgiven since it happened! I understand. I'm not mad at you; I never was," said Ellie assuringly.

"Maybe we should paint next weekend," Craig suggested. Ellie nodded.

"Wouldn't want to pass out on a freshly-painted wall."

"Nope. Definitely wouldn't want that to happen."

"So..."

"You wanna watch a movie or something? Joey went to go see Caitlin, and...Angie went with, so we have the house to ourselves."

"Sure."

Craig went through all the DVDs that were in the cabinet under the TV. He chose "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". It must've intensely frightened Ellie, because she told Craig that they shouldn't watch that one again.

She left an hour after it was over, and Craig was then home alone, bored.

The phone rang. Craig checked the caller ID.

_K. Kerwin._

"I think not," Craig said, tossing the phone to the floor. Did Ashley not get the hint that he didn't want to talk to her? Apparently not.

He lounged around on the couch in silence, not talking or doing anything. Just sitting there.

"Lalala," he whispered. "Bored..."

He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The phone started ringing again. He wondered if it was Ashley again. Hopefully not.

He got up and looked at it. _S. Mason_. Okay.

"Hello?" Craig said, yawning.

"Craig, there's some extra hours here and the manager wanted me to ask you if you want some extra cash."

"Yeah, I'll...be there in...ten minutes."

He hung up and put his jacket and shoes on. Six minutes later, he arrived at The Dot.

There were several piles of dishes awaiting him. Spinner came in to the room and said, "Craig, someone's here to see you."

Craig sighed and went out to see who it was. Probably Ashley, harassing him whenever she could get the chance.

No. Not Ashley. This was definitely not Ashley. Ashley didn't wear black clothes and sunglasses all the time. And Ashley wasn't a guy...Well, there was some contemplation about when they fought, but this wasn't the case. Craig looked outside and saw a Civic sitting in front of the building.

"Jay?" he said. Suddenly, everything turned black.

He woke up. Damn. No Jay. No extra hours at work. No extra money...No Jay. Why was he still trying to get over this?

Maybe because it happened so recently...

Either way, it was a scary thing to have a dream like that about Jay. He tried to consider the fact that maybe he needed to become more mentally stable than he had been...He'd only taken his meds about every other day...and he hadn't taken them yesterday or today...but he hadn't done much either. He sighed and got up from the couch to get something to eat.

Craig decided on a sandwich. The door opened and Joey and Angie walked in. "I thought you said you'd be home at six," Craig said curiously.

"It's six-thirty," Joey responded.

Craig looked at the clock. Sure enough, it was.

"How long was I sleeping?" he muttered. Craig thought about what time Ellie had left. It was about...three when she left...he'd slept for three hours? Strange...

"So how'd your time with Caitlin go?" asked Craig.

"Fine. We worked everything out, and...she's moving back in." Craig's eyes widened in horror.

"What?" he cried. "Why?"

"Because she legally owns this house and she has the right to be here!" Joey said.

"I knew you liked her more than me," Craig pouted. He had his own reasons for not wanting Caitlin back in the house. What she'd said to him before she left the first time still left a firm feeling of hatred burning in his mind. Why in God's name Joey would ever let Caitlin come back was beyond him.

Craig sat down at the top of the stairs and leaned his head on his hand. Joey looked up the stairway at him and sat down beside him.

"Craig..." he began. "I know you don't like the idea of Caitlin coming back, but me and Caitlin..."

"Belong together?" Craig finished.

Joey laughed. "Yeah."

Craig scoffed in annoyance. "It's official, then," he mumbled. "Joey Jeremiah has gone off his rocker. So when do I get to move out?"

"When you get out of high school," Joey said seriously. "I'm not letting you leave until then. Anyway, why do you ask?" Craig stared at Joey coldly.

"You and Caitlin are trying to build something. That something is called a family. The family that you and Caitlin want consists of you and Caitlin, plus Angie."

"Craig, you _know_ that's not true," Joey protested serenely. "If anything, I'd rather have you than Caitlin. Sure, it would hurt her, but she'd get over it. Something tells me that you wouldn't."

Craig didn't speak. That's just what Joey wanted—for him to say something else so that he could counter it with something better.

"I'd rather you had Caitlin than me." And that was that. No more speaking. He stood up, turned, and went into his room. He pulled out a magazine he'd bought a few days ago and started flipping through it. Several times he did this. He wasn't looking at any of the pictures or reading anything. He was just acting like he was. An hour passed; two hours...He grew tired and fell asleep on the magazine.

The next morning, he got up early. Joey watched as he rushed down the stairs and picked up the phone. He glanced at Joey and then retreated upstairs once more.

A minute later, Craig jumped off the seventh stair and landed right in front of the door. He swayed for a second and then ran out to his car and left.

Caitlin came over a few hours later. She had all of her things that she'd taken with her when she left and was ready to move back in with Joey.

-At The Dot-

Craig waited a few minutes for Ashley to show up and when she did, a voice in his head said, "This was a bad idea."

Ashley smiled sweetly when she saw Craig and she sat down at the table. Craig thought it would be rude if he didn't smile back, so he gave her a tired grin and she sat down across from him.

"So you're really gonna help us?" she asked excitedly.

"I'm here, right?" Craig said. He sounded tired. And he was. "Um...do you think we could go somewhere else? This is a little bit public for my liking. I just didn't want to...you know, have to meet somewhere too private and make it look like we're sneaking around. You have a ride here?"

"I walked."

"Lucky me. I didn't. Let's go." Craig jingled his keys in his hand and led Ashley out to the car. They drove off, and Ashley admired the car's cleanliness. She wasn't sure if she would be able to keep a car as clean as Craig kept this one. Maybe it was because it was a BMW. Or maybe it was because he was just that way. Or maybe it was because he didn't have all of his friends in here all the time.

"So how've you been?" Craig asked awkwardly, trying to make conversation.

"Good. Good. I've been good."

"Cool. How's, uh...Toby?"

"He's fine. Just fine. How's Joey?"

"Good. Caitlin's moving back in."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" asked Ashley.

"It's bad for me and good for Joey. Me and him had an argument over it last night. I haven't talked to him since."

"Since last night? I'm pretty sure you've stopped talking to him for longer than that before."

"Oh, I have. Believe me, I have." They pulled over at Ashley's house. The two snuck up to Ashley's room and sat down on the bed.

"Okay, I need some paper," Craig said quickly. Ashley took a notebook out of her binder and handed it to Craig, along with a pen. Ashley sat down next to Craig on the bed.

"First of all, thoughts. When you write a song about something in particular, you want to get the feelings out, right?" Ashley nodded. "So when I write a song about...whatever, I think about like...I don't know...how I felt when it was happening and how I felt afterward. But there are a lot of things that happened...things that I can't really put on paper. It's the things that I never want to talk about or bring up. Then again, there are the things that happened that I don't mind bringing up: what happened in general. Anyway, we should probably get started, eh?"

"I thought we were doing step one," Ashley replied, smiling.

"Yeah, I know, I meant that we should probably start writing something down."

Ashley blushed and Craig wrote something on the paper. She watched as he wrote and admired his handwriting; he was lucky. Her own handwriting had gone from bad to worse.

"Here." Craig handed her the paper and she read it.

"Wow," she whispered. "This is so...strong."

"That's the point," said Craig. "And it's not done yet."

"Oh, then, continue! This is amazing!" Ashley urged.

Craig snatched the paper back from her. He scribbled down another ten words. He groaned and pulled a cigarette and lighter out of his jacket. He looked at Ashley. She nodded and set a glass bottle from her nightstand next to Craig. Craig lit the cigarette and blew the smoke away from him and Ashley. He looked up at Ashley with a dark look. "Never start smoking," he said firmly, tapping loose ash from the tip into the bottle.

Ashley quickly wondered if something was wrong. The dark look he had given her was enough to tell her that he was hiding something. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"I'm fine," Craig said coldly. Craig knew what he was gonna do when he got away from here: he was gonna go smoke some weed. Or get some other form of drug. Either way, he knew he was going to be happy with it. His leg shook anxiously and he was quiet.

Again, he began to write. Two hours and four cigarettes later, they had a page-long song that they would present to Paige. The words of the song ran through Ashley's mind and she couldn't stop thinking about them. The way Craig had written them was almost too good to be true.

Ashley called Paige, Hazel, and Ellie, and they decided to meet up at the infamous Dot.

Craig and Ashley sat across from the other three, and they all read the lyrics.

"We can't use these," Paige said coolly.

"Why not?" Ashley cried.

"They're too good. Craig can use them for himself. Those are genuine lyrics, and I don't care if it is for a talent contest. We don't deserve to use them!"

"I'm giving you permission," said Craig. "And I want you to use it. Please?"

"Okay," said Paige. "But only because you told us to! And, plus, who could turn down that adorable face?" Everyone laughed.

"Crap," Craig said quickly. "I have to go, but, uh...yeah, I'll see you all later."

He left and went to the drug house. One girl, Lily, had some mushrooms that she wanted Craig to try.

He did. And in the middle of his euphoria, he could've sworn that he saw Sean. Colorful, Rainbow-ish Sean. Colorful, Rainbow-ish Sean with a twisted face.

Craig finally left the house at around 5:00. He aimlessly drove around Toronto. He stopped at a 76 store. He bought a six-pack of Pepsi. He drank it while he was driving.

He began to follow a random car around. This particular car went down to...you might have guessed it...the ravine. He got out of his car and sat up on the picnic table. A girl with long, brown hair came and sat next to him. Her name was Jena, and she had dark blue eyes and tan skin, like Manny. She put her arm around Craig's shoulder. "Wanna hook up?" she asked casually. She gave Craig a knowing look. Craig looked at her for a second, and then smiled. She took him into the van and looked around outside before closing the door.

--------

-Tuesday-

Craig and Ashley talked for a while in his car. They laughed a few times, but it was mostly quiet and peaceful. Craig drove her home.

They stood in the driveway for a few minutes. "I'll see you tomorrow," Craig said.

Quicker than he could respond, Ashley leaned forward and kissed Craig forcefully. She then smiled and waved goodbye to him before strolling into the house.

A/N: MUHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH! YOU ALL HATE ME NOW! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU! I KNOW YOU DO! BUT THAT RAVINE SCENE IS GONNA TOTALLY FUCK THIS THING UP! SO, READ, LEAVE ME A NICE, LONG REVIEW (I HATE THE 'LOVE IT, UPDATE SOON!' ONES!). TELL ME WHAT YOU DO AND DON'T LIKE, AND I'LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO! REMEMBER: NOT EVERY FIC CAN GO YOUR WAY. GET OVER IT. OR, GET A LIFE. EITHER WAY, DO SOMETHING, LIKE REVIEW!


	23. Part 19: Dirty Little Secret

Part 19: Dirty Little Secret

A/N: Muhahahahahahahaha! We've made it this far. No, Craig and Ash won't stay together for long, and no, it doesn't all have to do with Jena. It does, however, have to do with the infamous van. Either way, Craig and Ash do NOT stay together and it's NOT an Ash/Craig/Manny thing all over again...this is totally different.

By popular demand, the lyrics that Craig 'wrote' are at the end. Mind you,** I did not write them**. I found these on so...yeah. If you have any problems with them, you CAN take them up with me, but, uh...

ANYWAY

So...yes, just go on and read! DO IT NOW! And when you're done, if you don't review, I will be very sad, go into a state of depression and kill myself and you'll never get to read the fresh words that I type in this Microsoft Word thingy...so JUST DO IT! READ DAMMIT, READ!

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It was two weeks ago that Ashley had suddenly kissed Craig when he dropped her off at her house. The two weren't together; no. They hadn't spoken yet. Was it shyness? Was it insensibility? Whichever one it was, it was driving them both crazy.

The second week of their silence was horrible for Craig, particularly at school. Still, he hated going home. The second he walked in the door, Caitlin was there, talking and laughing with Joey and Angela.

In Craig's mind, Caitlin was evil and needed to go away. She acted all nice to Craig around Joey, but he could see the evil look in her eye—the one that said, "I'm watching you." He was almost scared to fall asleep at night because he kept imagining Caitlin would come into the room and kill him in his sleep.

I'm not screwing with you all now.

No matter how nice Caitlin seemed, Craig knew better.

Oh, yes, he knew much better.

He did his best to stay out of the house; he got in trouble at school on purpose so that he could have after-school detention, he asked for extra hours at the Dot, and his personal favorite, 'hanging out' at the ravine. Only at night, though, only at night.

It was a different girl every night, one more attractive than the first. Either these girls all found him truly attractive or they were just desperate. The cool thing was, Craig didn't have to worry about getting any of them pregnant.

Craig started suspecting that his friends were doing something behind his back. Something cruel. Something...devious.

They tried to act indifferent, but again, he knew better. He knew all of his so-called friends better than they thought he did.

Then, one day, Craig caught them in the act of plotting! Yes, at last! Proof! He had been strolling around the MI lab casually when he came across Marco's computer screen. The word "bipolar" was what caught his attention. He stopped and read what Marco was reading. Of course, Marco didn't know he was reading it. At the top of the screen it said "Dealing with Bipolar Disorder in Friends."

Craig read through all of the information. He knew that none of this would ever help anyone deal with his disorder; it was his problem, not theirs. And they had no right to try and help. Loudly, he said, "What are you looking at, Marco?"

Marco jumped in his chair and almost fell over. "N-nothing," Marco said quickly, closing the window on the screen.

"Really? That didn't look like 'nothing'," Craig said. "It looked to me as though you were researching...hm...what did they call that again...oh, yes, yes...bipolar disorder. Now why would you be looking at that? It's not like you or any of your friends have anything to worry about...Wait a second—you were researching it because of me, weren't you, Marco?"

Marco was scared half to death as Craig stared darkly at him. He finally nodded and Craig kicked the chair next to him angrily.

"Dammit, can't you guys just mind your own business? Jesus, it's not like I'm asking for that much!" he shouted. He stormed out of the MI lab, with everyone staring at Marco, who sank down into his chair.

Craig drove around town for hours. His car was extremely low on gas, and he had to fill up his tank. It was dark now. He stopped at a gas station and filled it up. $89.02. Nice. He'll have to remember that when he ended up selling it. Someday. This is was a good car...expensive, of course, and it drove really well...but almost a hundred dollars to fill it up? That's about...$320 a month for gas alone. Horrible. Oh well.

He wasn't sure why, but when he'd paid for his gas, he drove straight to the ravine. He knew that he did this every night, but he was going to try and steer himself away from it tonight. Still, it was like telling Joey he was going to quit smoking—he could talk all he wanted. It didn't mean that it had to happen.

The girl that decided to hook up with him that night was especially pretty. Craig felt lucky. Lucky to be hooking up with hot girls every night...unlucky with everything else. This was totally different from everything that had happened this year. This was a safe escape from the rest of the world. This didn't screw up his mind like the drugs did.

Craig had secrets that he'd rather NOT share with Joey or his friends. Secrets that are better kept untold are easier not to tell. Inside, Craig knew something was wrong. With him. Something was really wrong with him. He didn't know what it was, but he figured that he'd know sooner or later.

When he got home, he went straight upstairs. "Craig!" Joey shouted. Craig ignored him. Joey followed him up.

"Craig!" he repeated, pushing open the bedroom door. Craig dropped his binder on his bed and turned around.

"What?" he said loudly.

"Where have you been? It's past nine!"

"I was...out!" Craig cried.

"Doing what?"

"Stuff."

"Craig," Joey warned.

"I was just out, Joey! Christ, take it for an answer!" Craig turned around and ran his hand through his hair, sighing.

"I know it's hard for you right now, Craig. With Caitlin moving back in, and getting ready for exams, and work...but you need to control yourself."

"Me control myself!" Craig yelled, turning around and glaring at Joey. "You make all these last-minute decisions all the time! I told you a hundred times that I don't want to live with Caitlin! You knew that I can't stand her, and you're just all happy and you come home and say, 'Caitlin's moving in!' I'm sick of it, Joey! _I do not want to live with Caitlin_!"

"Then move out!" Joey said simply.

Craig's expression rapidly changed from anger to fear. He was silent for a minute. "What?" he said blankly.

"If you hate Caitlin so much, then move out."

"Joey..." Craig whispered. "I can't. You know I can't."

"I don't see why not. You seem to have everything else under control."

A million thoughts were running through Craig's head. Was Joey serious? Did he really want Craig out?

"Are you serious?" Craig asked after another minute of silence.

"Just...go," Joey said in a distressed tone. Craig stared at him sadly for a second and then he rushed downstairs and left the house, not even bothering to get his car. He knew that something was wrong with Joey right now; maybe he was tired or was on drugs or something. But right now, he didn't want to be around him. So, he ran. As far as he could. He finally stopped running and leaned up against a fence, panting.

A car pulled up beside him. Great, a cop. Just what he needed right now.

"What're you doing out this late?" the cop shouted. Craig looked at him for a second.

"I'm going to my friend's house," he answered.

"How far away is it?"

"Just a few more blocks. I'll be fine."

The cop shrugged and continued on down the road.

Craig sighed and began a long walk to Sean's. He didn't know why, but he knew that no matter what he did, he and Sean would always be connected in some way and that he could always go to him.

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He knocked on the door to Sean and Ellie's apartment. A few seconds later, it opened. Ellie was standing in front of him.

"Is Sean here?" he asked.

"Everyone's here!" Ellie said brightly. She allowed Craig to enter the room and Craig saw that everyone _was_ there. Craig knew most of them, but a few of them, he didn't. Emma and Manny, Spinner, Paige, Hazel, Marco, Jimmy, Ashley, and Sean. Everyone. The room was darkened and the TV was on. They were watching movies.

"Hey, Craig!" several people said.

Sean got up and said, "I called to see if you wanted to come over but you weren't home. Did you talk to Joey?"

Craig nodded quietly and closed the door.

"What brings you here?" Spinner asked, turning on the arm of the couch.

"Uh..." Craig said uncertainly. "Joey...got pissed off, and...I had nothing better to do, so..."

"Why is Joey pissed off?" asked Emma curiously.

"Because I got home late, and I didn't call," said Craig. The room was quiet for a minute.

"Who wants to play truth or dare?" Ellie said loudly. Everyone laughed and they sat in a circle.

A half-hour into the game, Craig had a third turn. He chose truth.

"Craig," said Spinner, "who do you think the prettiest girl in the room is?"

Craig looked around the room. So many options: Hazel, Paige, Manny, Emma, Ashley, Ellie...he couldn't decide.

He smirked. "Marco," he answered. Marco turned dark pink and everyone burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"I'm kidding, Marco, you know I'm kidding," Craig said after the laughter faded. "Uh...Emma, I think you would be the prettiest."

Emma smiled and blushed. "I think you have an admirer, Ms. Nelson," said Paige.

Craig playfully kissed Emma and they laughed and continued with the game.

Sometime around ten, Sean and Ellie's phone rang. It was Joey. He wanted to know if Craig was there. Craig stood up from the floor and took the phone. He went into the kitchen and talked quietly to Joey. Everyone in the living room was quiet and they strained to hear what Craig was saying.

"No, Joey...Yeah...It's okay...I'm fine...don't be, I know...okay...okay, bye." Craig turned the phone off and set it on the counter. He walked back into the living room and everyone stared at him. "Uh...I have to go," he said. "But I'll see you guys tomorrow." Craig walked out the door and went home.

As soon as he walked in the door at home, Joey was sitting on the stairs waiting for him. He stood up and Craig was surprised; he wasn't expecting anyone to be there. "Craig, I'm so sorry, I didn't know what I was thinking—" Joey began. Craig put his hand on Joey's shoulder.

"Joey, it's fine," Craig assured him. "I'm tired. I'm gonna go to bed."

"Do you want some dinner?" asked Joey. "I kept it warm."

Craig smiled softly. "No, but thanks. Goodnight." **_It's not like I can trust anything people like Caitlin cook anyway._**

Craig went upstairs to bed. That night, he dreamt about all of his friends drowning in coffee. Very interesting.

The next morning, he realized that he'd woken up late and he was going to have to get up and get ready for school. But, he liked sleeping, so maybe he wouldn't get up. Joey would certainly understand. And, if he didn't, Craig could say that he couldn't stop thinking about Jay's death and how he was involved in it. Then Joey wouldn't make him go anywhere.

As Craig lay in his bed, warm and comfortable, he started shaking. His stomach felt horrible, and he got up and went down to the bathroom. It took a second for him to vomit, but he did.

Inside, Craig knew that he was having cocaine withdrawals.

He didn't feel like moving anymore. He had just vomited. His muscles started to ache when he got up. After flushing the toilet, he hobbled back to his doorway. He couldn't make it to his bed. He leaned up on the doorframe and tried to regain his composure, but he couldn't. He sat up against the wooden panel, trying to get some air into his system. A loud moan of pain escaped his lips and his head fell to his shoulder. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Of course, it was Joey. Craig could tell. He was glad it wasn't Caitlin; she was the last person he wanted to see.

"Craig, oh my God, are you okay?" Joey was saying. Craig attempted to roll his head over so that he could see Joey, but he found no strength in his neck and it fell to his chest. Joey lifted Craig's head up and looked into his eyes. They were a shade of brown...only they weren't the color they always used to be. Normally dark, but now they were a dead color of tan. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry," Craig said weakly. "I couldn't help it." It took Joey a minute to figure out what Craig was talking about, or if he was just going insane.

"Should I call an ambulance?" Caitlin asked, popping her head out from the bedroom.

"No, he'll be fine. He's going through withdrawals. He just needs to go to bed and sleep it off for a few hours. Craig, come on, help me here," Joey murmured, pulling Craig up by his arms and not getting very far. Craig groaned and used what little muscle power he had left to push himself up and enter his room. He almost fell forward, but Joey pushed him back up. "Careful."

Joey laid Craig gently on his bed and covered him with blankets. "Go to sleep," Joey commanded. "You'll feel better when you wake up."

"I don't want to wake up," said Craig. Joey knew that Craig was in pain, but hearing that he would rather die than see another day was the last thing he wanted to hear. Craig tried to get up, but even he knew that his attempts were lame and feeble. Joey just looked at him and Craig fell back onto his bed. He painstakingly turned his head toward the window. He stared out at the trees and sky, hoping that he would die soon. He felt as though he had cancer, and he regretted ever taking drugs in the first place.

No.

No, he didn't.

He loved taking drugs. There was no doubt about them.

He would've sold his guitar to get it, but money wasn't a problem when he had a job.

He loved the euphoria that drugs fed him when he had them in his possession.

He was addicted to the feeling that he was given with each passing moment.

But that was long ago.

Two or three days ago...or four. However long it had been, it seemed like forever. Craig didn't know why he hadn't, but he was going to. Today. He was going to go get cocaine from his friends. Not this time. The withdrawals hit him before he had a chance to react and supply his infatuation.

He changed his focus toward the other side of the room, where he was surprised Joey was still standing. He was going to say something, but he had close to no energy left, and decided it best not to.

What day was it? He couldn't remember. His hand began to twitch uncontrollably. His hand began the rest of him and quickly, his entire body was shaking. Joey put his hands on Craig's shoulders. Craig opened his eyes and looked at Joey. He struggled to keep his eyes open and to keep himself awake.

Once more, Craig opened his mouth to speak, and the only sound that escaped him was a short breath of air.

When did he first do cocaine? When did he try it? Why? Because it sounded better than ecstasy, duh!

But when did he first try it? It was with Jay, he knew that much...he never tried anything new without Jay.

Maybe this would be the end of his drug habits.

Psh, yeah, right. Just because Jay was gone, it didn't mean that he was going to stop.

Now, back to his first thought. When did he first start doing cocaine?

Something in his mind told him that it had to do with Joey. And...vodka? Whiskey? What was this...?

Suddenly, SLAM, it all came back to him.

Caitlin left Joey and Joey became a pissed-off drunk and put Craig through hell for a month, and he and Jay went to the house, and Lily had...cocaine. And Jay and Craig tried it together. And that's why he was laying in this bed in agony. It all came down to...Joey. If Joey hadn't started getting drunk, then...no, it was Caitlin's fault. If Caitlin hadn't left Joey, he wouldn't have gotten drunk and hurt Craig the way he did...

Now Craig hated Caitlin more than he ever had. More than he did just before he'd figured it out. He looked out into the light again, and then everything went dark.

It was Jay. Always a dream about Jay. Every night for three weeks. But this one was way different.

_Jay was sitting on a table in the ravine. He patted the empty space next to him. _

"_Come on, Craig, we need to talk," he said. He sounded exactly like Joey did when Craig did something that he felt he needed to lecture him about. _

_Craig complied and sat down next to Jay. "What's up, Jay?" Craig tried to sound casual, but it wasn't working. _

"_Craig..." Jay mumbled. "You have to stop." _

"_I—" _

"_Shut up and let me talk!" Jay made eye contact with Craig. "You have to stop. We both know it." _

"_Why the hell are you telling me to stop? You're the one that got me into this in the first place!" Craig's demeanor changed quickly. "I'm sorry. I'm just...I wanted you to be proud of me." _

_Jay ran his hand through his hair and looked back up at Craig. _

"_You wanna make me proud?" he said quietly. Craig nodded. "If you want to make me proud...then I want you to get off the drugs. Look, I'm sorry for what I did to you! I'm sorry that you're like this...but you need to stop. You're going to end up getting hurt, and it's going to be my fault. Promise me that you're going to stop."_

"_Can I still—?" _

"_No!" Jay shouted. "You have to go back to the way you used to live! Stop smoking, get a girlfriend, take your meds, be with your friends, talk to Joey, live the way you used to! Please! For me!" _

_Craig stared at Jay, mulling it over. A minute later, he said, _

"_I promise. I promise I'll stop." _

_Jay grinned proudly and nodded in approval. "Good," said Jay. "And remember—what happened wasn't your fault. Be glad that you were lucky enough to live. Everyone already hated me, but they still have faith in you. Don't let your friends down. They might love you more than I do." _

_Jay got up and was about to walk away. Craig stood from the table and pulled Jay's shoulder back. Jay stopped and looked at Craig. "You can't hold onto me forever," said Jay. _

"_I know. It's just that...when I got out of the hospital, and I found out you were dead...it took me until just now to realize that I never got to say it." _

"_Then say it now."_

_Craig didn't want to say it. It was one word, "Goodbye", but he didn't want to. Jay was the only person who accepted him because of his problems, and he was going to be gone in a minute. _

"_Come on, Craig." _

"_I can't," Craig whispered. _

"_Oh, wait, before I go, I have to tell you something—at the cemetery, there's a row of trees. The third one on the left when you're looking toward the gate has a bird nest. Look in it. You might find something." And then, he turned and disappeared. _

Craig awoke and sat straight up. Joey was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking worriedly at him. Craig stared at him for a few minutes. The look of concern in Joey's eyes made Craig see for the first time in a while that Joey did, in fact, care. He wanted Craig there more than Caitlin. Craig lunged forward unexpectedly and hugged Joey tightly.

"Thanks," he whispered, "for taking me in and letting me live here and finding me a BMW."

"You're welcome," Joey said coolly. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," Craig said, pulling away quickly and grabbing his sweatshirt. He zipped it up and put his shoes on. "I have to go find out."

Craig ran out the door before Joey had time to say anything. Craig sped in his car to school and screeched in front of the building. He got out of his car and ran inside. People were going up and down the halls; it must've been between classes. He found Sean and Ellie, kissing against a locker. He gently pushed them apart.

"Sean, I have to tell you something!" he said loudly.

"What? Are you high?" said Sean.

"No, it has to do with Jay!" Craig said.

"Craig, Jay is _dead_," Sean said firmly. "I'm sorry to have to keep telling you that, but it's not gonna bring him back."

"Sean_, please,_" Craig begged. Ellie glared at Sean.

"Okay, okay, what?"

"Okay, I was having withdrawals earlier, and I passed out in my bed and then I had this really weird vision...about Jay." Sean and Ellie listened with interest. "He said he needed to talk to me. We were in the ravine, and I sat next to him at this table. Then he told me I needed to go back to the way I used to live and stop smoking and get a girlfriend and stop doing drugs and stuff. He was about to leave and then he said that there's something in a bird's nest in the third tree on the left in the row of trees when you're looking toward the gate at the cemetery. I don't want to go alone. Can you please come with me?"

"I'm going," Ellie said immediately. "I hate PE." Ellie and Craig looked anxiously at Sean, who was silent for a second, then he smirked and said,

"Let's go."

So, they were off to the cemetery.

Craig jumped out of the car and slammed the door shut. He ran up to the third tree on the left. His mind was racing. He saw the bird's nest inside and he pulled it down. Inside the nest was a large, silver piece of metal. Craig dropped the nest on the ground and ran his fingers on the metal. He looked up at Ellie and Sean. "It's his belt buckle," Craig said in disbelief. "And...he talked to me, and he...left this here, because..." Craig was silent for a minute.

"He knew it was going to happen," he said finally. "And he knew that I wanted this one." It was a nice belt buckle. It was a spinner, and the two always played with it when they were high. Craig could watch it for hours.

He spun it around and watched it until it slowed down and eventually stopped. The three were all quiet.

"Where did they bury him?" asked Craig, turning his attention from the buckle.

"On the other side of town," Sean answered. "Don't know why, they just did."

"Craig!" They all turned around and saw Joey rushing toward them. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

Craig couldn't talk for a minute. "Y-yeah," he stammered. "Everything's fine, I just...Jay..." Craig's head sank forward and he broke eye contact with anyone. He soon heard Sean explaining what Craig had told him to Joey. When Sean was finished, Craig looked up at Joey hopefully. Joey stared at the silvery object in Craig's hand in shock.

"Oh my God..." Joey muttered.

That was all he could say. What else could he?

Craig sighed and softly pushed past him. He got into his car and drove home, leaving Sean, Ellie, and Joey at the cemetery. Luckily, Joey had his car and could take Sean and Ellie back to school.

When Joey arrived home twenty minutes later, he went upstairs to go talk to Craig, but he wasn't in his room. He rushed back downstairs and looked in the kitchen; no Craig. His car was here...

Of course! Why didn't Joey think of this sooner? The garage! Joey ran outside as fast as he could and pulled open the door to the garage. What he saw was somewhat...morbid.

Craig was there, lying on the floor, with Jay's belt buckle a few inches from him, and he was scratching madly his arms. Several of the long marks had begun bleeding and blood dripped down his arm and onto the floor. A small pool was forming around his arm, and Joey couldn't move for a few minutes.

Just stand there and watch him bleed.

Eventually, Joey snapped out of his trance and rushed to Craig's side. He put his hand behind Craig's back and pushed him up a little bit, and Craig did his best to stand up. Joey led him over to the old couch and laid Craig down on it. He found the first aid kit and brought it next to Craig.

First, he took alcohol pads and cleaned the blood that was on his arms. Second, he took some gauze and put it over the wounds before they could bleed even more than they already were. Blood was running rapidly from his flesh, and was soaking through. Joey quickly used the medical tape and wrapped it around Craig's arm.

When it was all finished, Joey looked up at Craig. He was staring at the ceiling, expressionlessly.

"Are you okay?" Joey asked him quietly.

Craig didn't speak; he closed his eyes and nodded.

Joey ruffled Craig's hair. Craig turned his head and looked at Joey, first seriously, then his expression changed quickly and smiled. It wasn't a weak smile, either, like he usually would have. It was genuine. A happy smile, at last.

"Come on, let's go inside," said Joey. Craig rolled off the couch, stood up, and followed Joey into the house.

—Six Hours Later—

Caitlin arrived home around four. Craig wished that she didn't come home at all. He was sick of her presence. Joey had gone to the store, leaving Craig there alone. With Caitlin. Alone, with Caitlin.

She walked into the house and saw Craig sitting at the top of the stairs.

"Hi, Craig," she said in a friendly voice. Craig didn't respond, but he gave her a death glare. She walked into the kitchen. She noticed that Craig had not spoken to her since she moved back in. It bothered her a little; Craig could be plotting her death and she wouldn't even know it until it happened.

"Why won't you talk to me?" Caitlin called from the kitchen. Craig still didn't respond to her. Caitlin went to the stairway, and when she did, Craig got up and went into his room. She followed him.

"I came in here for a reason," Craig said angrily.

"So did I," said Caitlin sharply. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"Do the words 'pathetic little boy' mean anything to you?"

"Craig, I told you I was sorry for that!" Caitlin cried.

"And what else have you apologized for? Nothing! I put up with a month of hell because of you!" Craig shouted. "And you don't even care! You're just here because you want people to think you give a damn about anyone but yourself! Face it, Caitlin—you're selfish."

Caitlin scoffed and stalked out of the room. Craig didn't care; he wanted her to hate him just as much as he hated her. Craig laid down on his bed, satisfied.

An hour later, Craig was still laying on his bed, thinking. His bedroom door swung open. Joey entered, looking concerned.

"Craig, what happened between you and Caitlin earlier?" Joey asked.

"She was being stupid so I told her how I felt about her," Craig said simply.

"She's downstairs crying her eyes out right now, Craig!"

Craig's heart sank. Great—everyone cries over Craig.

"So what do you want me to do about it?" Craig asked loudly.

"Go down there and tell her that you're sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Craig shouted. "I didn't ruin her life! I didn't come into her house! I DO believe that I came into yours! It later became Caitlin's. Either way, Caitlin has never done anything for me, and I doubt she ever will. GIVE UP."

"Craig, you know that Caitlin has tried to make things better between you two," Joey began, "and you're not making it any easier."

"Maybe that gives you a clue that I don't want to make things better," Craig said, looking away from Joey and picking up his guitar from the stand.

"Yes, you do. Just not between you and Caitlin."

"Exactly. Good job, Joey. You're a good man," Craig said in a business-like voice.

"Craig, I don't want you to end up like—" Joey stopped and Craig looked up at him.

"No, go on," Craig urged. "Don't want me to end up like who?"

"Never mind," Joey said. "Forget about it."

"No! I'm not going to forget about it! What the hell were you just about to say?" Craig insisted.

Joey was quiet.

"You were about to say Jay, weren't you? You don't want me to end up like Jay? What in the hell is that about, Joey? How would I end up like him?"

"Craig, you wouldn't understand," said Joey. He went to the door to leave.

"Make me understand!" Craig ordered, stopping him. Joey looked up into Craig's eyes and saw that he was insulted by being told that he wouldn't understand. It was a lack of trust. Once again. Joey pressed past Craig and left the room, leaving him standing there in shock.

Craig couldn't believe it. Joey didn't think he'd understand? Psh, fine. Joey could think whatever he wanted.

Hm, well, for the time being, he would have to at least make peace with Joey so that he could help himself build allies for the battle against Caitlin. He shook himself a few times and then left his room to go to Joey's.

He pushed open the door, which was cracked open a little, and entered.

"Joey?" he said carefully. Joey was sitting on the bed with his hands in his lap. Craig's heart sank even lower than it already had and he sat down on the bed next to Joey. He sighed.

"I'm sorry, Joe," Craig began. "I've been trying, but...things keep happening and I can't keep trying. You keep promising me I'm gonna get better, and every time I screw up, you get mad at me and I have to start all over again. I want to get better, but you stopped helping me when Caitlin moved in. Ever since she came back, everything's about her."

Joey thought about that for a minute. Was it true? Did he really only think about Caitlin and ignore Craig now that she'd moved back in? Hm...maybe it WAS true.

"Oh, God," Joey muttered. "It has been. Craig, I'm...I'm sorry."

"No, Joey. It was going to happen anyway."

"Listen, Craig...I talked to Snake today, and he said that you haven't been talking very much during class. He also said that there has been some hostility between you and JT Yorke...?"

"That's because JT's a jackass and he needs to learn to stay the hell away from me."

"Craig."

"What? JT's been a problem to me for years. It just didn't occur to me until the start of this one."

"Snake tells me that you and JT get into fist fights a lot."

"Yeah, so? JT deserves it. He shouldn't walk past my locker. He knows better."

Craig looked over at Joey and caught him smirking. Joey saw Craig and his face changed instantly.

"That's—that's no reason to start something!" Joey scolded.

Craig laughed. "Mom told me never to back down."

"Still, that doesn't mean to start something."

"It's not starting something. It's teaching little JT Yorke that he needs to find a longer way around the school. He could use the exercise. He's getting a little on the fat side, if you ask me." Joey expressed his amusement.

"Okay," Joey said. "I'll try paying a little more attention to you. I promise. If you promise to try harder in school and not to be so...hostile to JT."

"Sure," Craig said quickly. "Will do. Uh...I have to go see some friends somewhere, but, uh...I'll be home later."

"Alright. Don't be any later than ten."

Craig rushed out of the house and drove to the ravine.

There, he met several girls he had hooked up with in the past. They all sat around him, giggling like mad.

About an hour after all these girls had sat around him, a young blonde came out of the darkness and smiled at him seductively. He smirked back and got up from the table. He followed the blonde into the large, black van and slammed the door behind him.

**meanwhile**

Paige roamed around her bedroom, looking for her brush. She checked the pile of clothes that was in her closet, but found nothing. Suddenly, her phone began to ring, and she found it under her blankets and answered it.

"Hello?" she said quickly.

"Paige? It's Ash, have you heard from Craig?"

"Um, no," said Paige. "Why? What's up?"

"Craig ran off earlier and Joey doesn't know where he is, and he's not answering his phone."

"Oh, well, I'd go look for him, but my mom's van is totally messed up. I could call someone..."

"Really? That'd be great. Um...if you do get a hold of him, just tell him to call me, okay?" said Ashley.

"Okay, I will. I'll talk to you later." She hung up on Ashley and called someone she'd never have called if it wasn't important to one of her friends.

"Hello?"

"JT? I need to ask you a favor..."

----------------------------------

JT didn't know why he did it. He had better things to do, like take care of Liberty or do some homework. Why he would rush around at night, looking for someone he hated was beyond him. Maybe because he was doing something for Paige, not for Craig. But, he'd said yes, and that was what he was getting himself into.

He saw Marco walking along the road, trying to keep himself warm. JT slowed down and rolled down the window. "Marco!" he shouted. "Have you seen Craig?"

"No," said Marco, "but you might try the ravine. He goes down there a lot."

"What would he be doing in the ravine?" asked JT.

"I don't know! All I know is that he goes down there every night!"

"Okay, well, thanks!" JT said, driving away, leaving Marco in the cold. "Ravine...ravine..." he muttered, keeping his eyes firmly on the road. He turned a few small, narrow roads to the ravine. He stopped his car and got out. He walked up to a small group of girls sitting at a table.

"Have you seen Craig?" he asked.

"Yeah," said one girl, "he should almost be out."

JT was about to inquire about what she was talking about when the van door opened and Craig and a young blonde emerged. The girl wiped the side of her mouth on her sleeve and Craig headed back toward the other girls. He saw JT staring at him and froze.

Finally, he spoke.

"JT, what are you doing here?" he demanded loudly.

"I was looking for you! Ashley wants you to call her, but I'll just have to tell her that you're too busy down here, and—"

"You're not going to tell Ashley anything."

"Why not?"

"Because—" Craig's expression changed rapidly from anger to desperation. "Because...I'm asking you not to. Please. Don't."

JT thought about saying yes and then going behind his back and betraying him...but then people would talk. "Fine," he said. "Just—call Ashley. She wants to talk to you." Craig bowed his head and nodded. JT walked away and Craig lifted his head again.

He knew that his web of deceit had worked. Maybe with JT, but he would have to test it on his friends as well before he knew that he could use it on Joey. He also knew something about what he was doing—

What he was doing was wrong.

But, he didn't care. Nope. He just wanted to be able to get away with everything. He had stopped caring about being perfect for everyone.

Still, the day's events stayed in his mind. Jay told him to stop...so why did he want to keep doing it so bad? Maybe it was because he'd stopped caring about what Jay thought, too. What could he do, anyway? Come back and stop him? Apparently not.

Craig felt a vibration in his pocket and he realized that it was his cell phone. He picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?" he said in a tired voice.

"Craig? Oh, my God, are you okay? You weren't answering your phone earlier, so I—" Ashley said. Craig could barely make out what she was saying.

"ASH!" he shouted. She abruptly stopped. "Slow down when you're talking, you know I can't hear a damn thing you're saying." Craig went to his car and opened his door. He sat in the driver's seat with the door wide open. He reclined the seat and sighed.

"Are you hurt?" Ashley asked calmly.

"No, Ash, I'm fine. I was just out seeing some friends, and I'm gonna go home soon. Okay?"

"Okay, but, Craig...the reason I called was because...I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Well...it's just that..."

"Ash, come on, I have to go home."

"Craig—"

"I told Joey I'd be home soon. Can we talk about it tomorrow...in person?"

"Uh—yeah," Ashley said, defeated.

"Okay, I'll see you then. Bye."

Craig snapped his phone shut and closed his car door. He drove home in a quick manner, trying to keep his eyes on the road, but he couldn't seem to focus. He felt as though he had been rude to Ashley. Oh well. He would sort it all out tomorrow.

He walked in the door and Joey looked over at him. "You were gone a while," he said plainly.

"I know," Craig said, "but I ran out of places to go."

"It's late," said Joey.

"Yes, Joey, it is. I'm gonna go to bed, and...I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Goodnight."

Joey watched Craig walk up the stairs and leaned back onto the couch with Caitlin. He worried about Craig, but felt happy with Caitlin at the moment.

The two sat there for hours, with Joey's head on Caitlin's lap, while she stroked the surface of his head. They both relaxed and fell asleep there.

Joey awoke to Caitlin shaking him. He looked up at her, confused. "Something's wrong with Craig," she said. Joey shook his head rapidly and he was quiet before realizing that there was noise coming from Craig's room.

He jumped up from the couch and jogged upstairs. "Craig!" he shouted. He ran to the side of Craig's bed.

Craig was making the same agonizing sounds that he did that day at the hypnotherapy office.

It was a noise that sounded as though he were trying to lift something heavy off of him or he would likely suffocate. But it wasn't just the noise...

It was pain.

Joey could hear the pain in his throat as he writhed on the bed, hardly able to speak. Joey put his hands on Craig's shoulders, but he continued to fight it.

A minute later, Craig opened his eyes and sat up straight. He was sweating like mad and he could barely breathe. He looked over at Joey and scooted to the back of his bed. Joey moved his arm and Craig closed his eyes tightly, his knees curled to his chest.

"Please," he pleaded, "don't. Not again. Don't..." Sweat was running down his face his dark brown hair was soaked.

"Craig...are you okay?" Joey asked in concern.

"No...I mean...yeah, I'm fine...I'll be fine...I just...please...don't..."

"Craig...I'm not gonna hurt you...it's okay, it's me, Joey...I won't hurt you."

Craig looked up. It was like seeing Joey for the first time. It was realizing that it wasn't his father...it was Joey. He'd never purposely hurt Craig just to release built up frustration.

He was safe.

Craig sighed in relief and leaned his head back against the wall.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Joey asked quietly.

Craig nodded, panting softly.

"I'll be fine," he whispered.

"Come here," Joey said gently. He held his arm open. Craig carefully forwarded himself toward Joey and allowed him to put his arm around his shoulders. Joey could feel him shaking slightly.

"Are you gonna be okay?" he repeated.

"Yeah," said Craig.

"'Yeah' what? Look me in the eye and tell me," Joey ordered. Craig raised his head and made eye contact with Joey.

"Yeah, I'm gonna be okay," he said clearly. His bottom lip was shaking and Joey knew that he wanted to be alone for a while.

"Okay, get some sleep," said Joey. He pulled away from Craig. "Goodnight." He closed the door and went downstairs. Craig sat on the bed for a second and then laid back down. He stared into the silent darkness, thinking about the nightmare he'd had. His breathing slowed down and steadied as he lay there.

Turning onto his back, he stared at the blank ceiling.

He could hear Caitlin and Joey talking about him quietly in their room.

"He needs help, Joey," Caitlin insisted.

"He's getting help," Joey responded.

"Professional help."

"He doesn't want or need professional help."

"Why not? They know what they're doing," said Caitlin.

"Yes, but they don't understand him the way I do. He can't...he can't trust other people anymore."

"If he stayed in professional care then he would learn to trust more people."

"He can't just learn to trust. People have to earn his trust and it takes a lot to get that far."

"Joey...he's not going to stay here forever. You know that. If he can't trust other people, then he's never going to make it in life."

"Don't—don't do that. Craig can stay here as long as he wants or needs to."

"He's not doing very good in school," Caitlin began, "and the odds don't look good that he's going to graduate."

"He doesn't have to graduate! I don't care if he does! Civil things bore him to death! Music is what makes him happy and you don't need a high school diploma for music! Look at Tommy Lee!"

"Joey, this is different! What if Craig gets into music and then decides he doesn't like it? Is he going to end up living on the streets because you didn't make sure that he had a high school education?"

"There's not a 'what if' there! He can make it in music! The only person that doesn't believe that is you!"

Craig was proud of Joey. He was defending him. He knew that if he wanted to, he could argue that himself, but he decided that if Joey would risk losing Caitlin over him, he must be important to him. Heehee. Craig continued to listen to the argument.

"So now this is all about Craig? Was that always what this was?" Caitlin shouted. Craig heard her stand up and throw something against the wall.

"No, it's not."

"Then what is it? Oh, I know what this is—you're defending him because he wasn't brought up in a good home with a good family. Because he wasn't raised like me? Taught to be what I am now?"

"Really? Is this what your parents taught you? To be self-absorbed and obnoxious and not care about other people?" Joey said coldly.

Craig heard a loud SLAP and then Caitlin ran downstairs. He thought about getting up to talk to Joey, but decided he was too tired and turned over to go back to sleep. He began to think about the dream again. He wished that he could go back to the past and tell Joey what was happening long before then; maybe he wouldn't be in this position now. Inside, that was all he wanted. His throat began to hurt and his eyes started burning.

The door opened and light from the hall poured into the room. It was Joey.

"Craig?" said Joey quietly, "are you awake?"

"Yeah," Craig said in a cracked voice.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, I just...I want..."

Joey forced Craig to sit up and he looked at him. Half of his face was visible in the light from the hall, while the other half was hidden by the shadows. Craig gave Joey a cold stare, and Joey knew that something was wrong. But he was tired of forcing things out of him, and decided that if he wasn't willing to just tell him what was wrong then he would just leave him alone until he was ready.

"What is it?" Joey blurted out. Craig was quiet for a few seconds.

"Mom," he said.

Craig knew that it had been a long time since his mom died, but he wanted her every day. Maybe this excuse was getting old, but he didn't care; every time he said he wanted her, he wasn't lying. She had done everything for him. Up until her death and Joey's discovery of Craig's home life, he'd never loved someone as much as his mother.

"Craig..."

There was nothing to say to that. Joey missed her, too, but probably not as much as Craig did.

"Joey, don't," Craig said suddenly. "You don't have to try and make me feel better. I'm fine."

"No, you're not," said Joey, "you're sick and you're tired and you're upset."

Silence.

"I know," Craig said at last. "But..."

"But nothing. Listen, don't worry about this tonight. We can talk tomorrow."

"I'm—"

"Bed."

Craig gave a mental scoff. Joey always had the last word. Well, sometimes.

He fell back onto his bed and turned onto his stomach, away from Joey, who was instantly offended, but felt reason for Craig to do it.

He placed his hand on Craig's back, and he could feel him sighing.

"I know that you feel like I don't understand what you're going through. And I don't. But I want to. Don't listen to anything that Caitlin says about you graduating. You could drop out of high school and I wouldn't think any less of you." When Craig didn't reply, Joey continued. "I want you to get into music, and if you want to do that, then that's fine...that's great. You like music and it makes you happy."

Craig's stillness told Joey that he just wanted to be alone for now. So, he patted his back and left the room.

Craig fell asleep about an hour later.

**-4 Days Later-**

After overcoming his withdrawals, Craig went back to school. He'd done well and hadn't skipped or left early. He'd been on time every day and finished the entire day.

Very boring days, just like the rest of high school.

The highlight of the week was when Ashley called him.

"Hello?" he said.

"Craig, it's Ash. Look, I was kind of thinking...about us. Can we...be together?" she said.

What? Was Ashley just—asking him out? This was odd...and unexpected...

"Ash...um...sure."

"Really?" Ashley cried excitedly.

"Yeah," said Craig.

"Okay, just—don't go around telling everyone. I want you for myself for a while."

"Alright." Craig hung up the phone and fell onto his bed. Was this real? Was he really with Ashley now?

He sat around for a while and then the doorbell rang. He heard the door open and then some quick footsteps up the stairs. His bedroom door flew open and Ashley leapt onto his bed, slamming the door shut immediately before. She forcefully pushed him onto his back and was soon on top of him. She worked as fast as possible to remove his shirt as they kissed.

"Ash, slow down," Craig said breathlessly. "Joey's in the other room."

"Shut up," Ashley said, pressing her lips against Craig's again.

After a few more minutes, Ashley had Craig in nothing but his boxers and she was about to remove her own shirt when the door swung open.

They pulled apart and looked to the door.

Joey and Caitlin were standing in the doorway.

"Wow," Caitlin said, "pure, innocent, teenage fun, Joey?" She looked over at him expectantly.

"Caitlin, they're kids," Joey said excusingly and then added warningly, "Craig."

"No glove, no love, got it, Joe," Craig said out of breath.

Joey and Caitlin closed the door and left Craig and Ashley to what they'd been doing.

Of course, the two didn't go anywhere passed kissing.

A simple slip might turn into another slip and release their secret.

Abinaoisen;aoinb;lijsdlfkaj;lbkj alksd;lajblajse;lrja;lib;al asjlriajbla n;elor ;alinm g;aoibhno;ierf

A/N: HOLY SNAP! THAT TOOK ME EFFING FOREVER TO WRITE! OKAY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU WANT IN HERE UNLESS YOU TELL ME! DESCRIPTIVE REVIEWS ARE HELPFUL REVIEWS! THE MORE HELPFUL REVIEWS THE MORE SATISFYING THE STORY WILL BE FOR ALL Y'ALL! AND REMEMBER, IT'S NOT ONLY MAJORITY, I HAVE SOME SAY SO IN THIS STORY!

ANYWAY, HERE ARE THE OH-SO WONDERFUL LYRICS THAT WILL COME UP IN THE NEXT CHAPTER:

Don't cry for me  
I don't need your sympathy  
Don't bleed for me  
Cause you have to breathe for me

The rusty chains scar my wrists  
The salty tears burn my skin  
Controlling me lifeless  
It's the demon within

Living inside me  
It aches like a pain  
I cannot reveal it  
I need you to heal it

But something inside you  
It tears you apart  
Squeezes your veins  
Rips open your heart

Crucify me with your stare  
Dig your nails into my heart  
Drug me only if you must  
I never want to be apart

But we are all connected  
By the means of regret  
And we are all neglected  
Abused and tormented  
Our Suffering has only begun

Kiss my lips and taste my blood  
Watch me hover from above  
Don't hang on now just let go  
Because I want to die

I DIDN'T WRITE THEM, SO...YEAH. I JUST FOUND THEM. LALALALLALALALALALALALLAAAA!


	24. Apologetic AN and a Preview for Part 20

Another Author's Note…My Apologies…

Mmkay so here's what's going on and why I haven't updated.

My Computer got a virus

We had to wipe and reload it

My computer is a geekbait and wouldn't let me save the 10,000-word chapter I'd prepared for you.

So, I'm working on REWRITING the entire thing.

My apologies to all you fans of this story, and…Yeah.

And, as a token of my apology, I will present you with a very, very, very short preview of the next chapter.

Joey leaned back in the chair.

"Craig, I'm not doing this to hurt you."

"Then why does it feel like you are?"

"I'm doing what needs to be done."

"But why does it need to be done? At all?"

"It's what's best for you."

"No…it doesn't need to happen like this."

"Yes, Craig, it does."

"No, please…Joey, I'm sorry…it won't happen again."

"You've promised me a lot in the last year, and none of it's happened yet."

"I know, I'm so sorry, please…I'll be better. I'll be good, just like Angela."

"This isn't about Angela. It's about you. And I'm sorry."

"No…"

Craig couldn't process everything Joey was saying. More over, he didn't want to process it. They were in silence for a short while, until Craig said again, "No, Joey, please, don't do this."

"Craig, I'm sorry, but I can't help you on my own."

"Yes, you can…you're the only one that can help me, just don't leave me there…please…"

"No, it's too late."

"Please, don't…" He was sobbing and begging Joey not to do this. He crawled over to Joey and put his head on his lap. His body was racked with sobs and Joey patted his back comfortingly. "I love you, Joey, don't do this…"

And as Joey held the scared teenager in his arms, he, too, broke down in tears.

He was as scared as Craig was of doing this.

OKAY SO THERE'S A PREVIEW!

YES! ALL OF YOU! GUESS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! MMHMM! THAT WILL BE WHAT HOLDS YOU OVER! AND IF IT DOESN'T, THEN…WELL THAT SUCKS, DOESN'T IT?

Loves

Japanese-Russian Techno AKA Gab


	25. Part 20: All the Things She Said

Part 20: All the Things She Said

A/N: HA so how did y'all like that last Author's Note that I made a chapter out of? LOL probably had y'all hopin' that it was the new chapter (like this) LOL. Anyway, so…yeah here's the new chapter and you will all find out what the preview in the Author's Note WAS TALKING ABOUT! It's totally unexpected (well, not TOTALLY, but you get the idea).

So…yeah. Just…read it and review. And man, I have very little motivation for writing the chapter that comes after this, and I'm actually thinking about discontinuing the story if you guys don't tell me WTF you want in the story. So…yeah.

A/N as of 4/23: OMG, I'M SOOO SORRY THAT IT'S TAKEN ME SO LONG TO UPDATE THIS STUPID THING BUT I FINALLY JUST GOT ANOTHER IDEA SO IT'S ON, BITCHES! **IT'S ON!**

**A/N as of 5/19: Wow, you know what? I put some effort into this chapter, and I had the thought brewwwwwwing in my mind for forever! BAHA! But that preview that I gave you guys won't come up until the NEXT chapter, but sit tight. K? Cuz I'll start working on that TOMORROW! But anyway, yes…So read this chapter, REVIEW IT, and … yeah. Basically. Uhh oh yeah. The more reviews and ideas I get, the more inspiration I'll have, and…the better and longer chapter you shall have! Baha. Anyway. So yeah. Read and review, and… yep. So baha. Ta-ta.**

…………………………………………………..

Craig had only been dating Ashley for about two weeks now.

Of course, it was the third time they'd dated.

And, this time, there was no doubt in his mind that he was madly in love with her.

It was noticeable.

Joey could tell, even Caitlin could tell.

Joey just didn't want him to end up getting hurt like last time.

"Where are you going?" Joey asked, as Craig bounced down the stairs toward the door.

"I'm going to Ashley's," Craig answered. He raced outside to his car, and sped to Ashley's.

That was the day that Craig and Ashley finalized their love for each other for the second time.

But this time, it would last forever.

They talked on the phone for hours at a time each night. Now, this wasn't usually a problem for Joey, but when he did need the phone, he couldn't even use it.

Unfortunately for Craig, yet fortunately for Joey, Ashley would get a call from someone else and Craig would have to tell her goodbye and hang the phone up for the night.

Craig and Joey had been getting along better than they had a little while before, but Craig and Caitlin's relationship had been rougher than before; she yelled at him more, and Craig could hardly handle it. But he held it in. He wanted this to work for Joey.

"Hey, Joey?" Craig said, one night while Joey was walking past his room. "I need to talk to you."

"Uhm, sure, Craig, what about?" Joey stopped and leaned up against the door frame.

Craig stared at the floor and felt Joey's gaze upon him. However, he didn't dare look up.

"_Craig_," Joey said expectantly. Craig could tell that he was growing impatient with him. He didn't want to take up any more of his time.

"Nothing, never mind, just go to bed," Craig said quietly. He got up and gently pushed Joey out of his room, closing the door behind him.

Joey stood in front of Craig's door for a minute. What was he supposed to do now?

Now he felt horrible.

He turned and knocked on the door. No answer. He turned the knob and pushed it back open.

"Craig?" he said softly. Craig was already lying down in his bed. He'd shut the light off. "Buddy…"

Craig didn't respond.

Fine, Joey thought. If it's going to be like this, then I'll talk to him tomorrow.

"Goodnight, Craig." Joey turned to leave.

"Goodnight, Joey," Craig said quietly. Joey paused, hesitating for an instant to see if there was anything more. When he got nothing more, he closed the door and went to his own room.

The next morning, Joey, Caitlin, and Angela were all eating breakfast while Craig showered and got ready for school.

As he was about to leave, Joey stopped him. "Aren't you gonna eat something?" he asked.

Craig bowed his head. "No," he answered. He faced the door, away from Joey.

Joey looked sadly at Craig. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I dunno, I'm just tired."

He laughed quietly and said goodbye to Joey, before heading out to his car to go to school.

He couldn't wait to see Ashley today. He hadn't seen her since…how long was it…? Ha. Yesterday.

Even he could tell that he loved her more than anything right now.

He wasn't scared, either.

This time, it would last forever. He knew. He just had a feeling.

Ashley loved him, and she wasn't going anywhere.

He stopped at her house, just like he said he would that day.

His car sat in front of the house for a moment, and Ashley quickly bounced out of her front door and got into the car. She was beautiful in every way.

She kissed him as she put her seatbelt on. They looked at each other for a moment, and a smile crept onto Craig's lips as he pulled out of the driveway.

"Ash…I'm so happy that I'm with you."

"I'm happy to be with you too, Craig," Ashley said. They kissed again.

Then, Craig sped down the road to school.

When they arrived in the front, Craig parked the car and they got out.

He kissed her on the cheek and they both went their separate ways up the stairs; this relationship was still a secret from the rest of the world.

Craig approached his locker, opened it and took a few things out, and as soon as he closed it, he saw Spinner standing in front of him.

"Uh, hey, Spin," Craig said quietly.

"So, you and Ash?" Spinner asked.

"No," Craig answered.

"I saw the-"

"No," Craig repeated firmly.

"Uh, okay," Spinner said cautiously, backing away slightly.

"You know, Craig, what happened with Marco and that website a few weeks ago…you know, we're just-"

"Just worried?" Craig snapped.

Spinner paused before replying, "Yeah." He sighed and leaned up against the locker beside him.

"Craig…you know…you need to get your shit straight," Spinner said quietly.

Craig glared at him; he'd just been insulted.

"No, Spinner, I think it's you that needs to get their shit straight. Now excuse me, I have to go to class," Craig said out loud, shoving himself past Spinner and going to homeroom.

"You know what, Craig?" Spinner shouted after him. "You're---you're an ass!"

As everyone filed into their separate classrooms, Spinner was left standing alone in the empty hall.

Craig sat in his seat in first period, thinking about what Spinner said.

Of course, in his mind, Craig knew he was right…he did need to get his shit straight, and soon. But there was no way in hell he was going to admit that to Spinner, or anyone else.

Mr. Simpson approached Craig in the middle of class, while everyone around him was doing his work, and he was staring at a blank computer screen.

"Hey, buddy, how are you doing today?" Mr. Simpson asked, putting his hand on Craig's shoulder.

"I'm doing okay," Craig said convincingly. "I'm just tired."

"We all are. Maybe you should go to bed earlier tonight and see if that helps…You've been tired a lot recently. But first of all, you might want to try getting a start on this, or you're not gonna get it done, and I'm gonna have to fail the grade on it."

Craig nodded and began to work.

During fourth period, Craig got a call from Joey.

"Hello?" he said into the phone.

"Hey, Craig," Joey said in a happy tone.

"Hi, Joey. What're you up to?" Craig asked. He wondered why Joey would be calling him during school.

"I'm on a lunch break, and I got a call from the school and I thought I should call and see how you're doing."

"What did the school call for? Who called?" Craig said, half-paranoid.

"Craig, that's not important…we'll talk about it later tonight, but I needed to call and see how you've been doing today. So_ are_ you doing okay today?"

Craig was hesitant but said in an irritated voice, "Yes, Joey, I'm fine. I guess I'll talk to you when I get home."

"Hey, don't be mad at me, buddy…I'm just trying to make things better."

"Yeah. I know." Then he put the classroom's phone on the receiver and went back to his work.

Joey was beginning to worry about Craig. That was the third time he'd hung up on him in the last week, and he wondered what was going on. Was it because of the lack of meds? Or was it simply the detachment? He was confused and didn't know what to do when Craig did it. Craig had come close to hitting someone or something the other night…but Joey didn't do anything about it, he was afraid to. He knew he shouldn't be afraid of Craig, but it was the sad truth; he just was. He couldn't help it.

That night, Joey got home at around 6:00. He opened the door and put his keys on the banister, like he did every day. "Caitlin? Craig? Angela?" he called throughout the house. Caitlin was sitting on the couch, and Angela come bouncing down the stairs.

Joey bent down to Caitlin's level and kissed her. He kissed his daughter on the forehead, and then asked Caitlin if she knew where Craig was.

"He came home after school," she said, "and then he just left again. He wouldn't tell me where he was going, he just…left." She ended her tale with a final shrug.

"Oh, God dammit," Joey muttered.

"_Daddy!"_ Angela gasped; she'd always been scolded for using that phrase.

"Sorry, Angie," Joey said quickly. He picked up the phone that was sitting on the counter and dialed Craig's cell phone number.

The phone rang six or seven times before there was an answer…from the voicemail box.

Joey wasn't about to leave a message, so he waited about five minutes and then called back. The third time he called, he got an answer.

"Hello?" came Craig's voice. He sounded feeble.

"Craig? _Where in the hell are you?"_ Joey shouted.

"I'm…" Craig began. He stopped talking and the two were silent.

"Craig Manning, talk to me, right now. Where the hell are you?" Joey said firmly.

"I'm—I'm in my car…"

"Are you okay?" Joey asked, his voice softening with worry.

"I'm fine, I just…I needed some time to think. I'm fine, don't worry."

"Are you hurt?"

"No."

"You promise?"

"Yeah, I promise. I'll be inside in an hour or so, okay?"

"Okay."

Craig snapped his phone shut and stared off down the empty road.

He hated worrying Joey, but he wasn't doing it on purpose. He thought about everyone for a while…About his friends, about Joey, and Angela…and Caitlin…and Ashley. He couldn't imagine losing anyone right now.

Opening the door of his BMW, he stepped out of the car and went into the house.

Joey looked up from the kitchen table when Craig walked in the door, but Craig looked all but excited to be inside. He stared at the ground as he went up the stairs to his bedroom; his only sanctuary right now.

Several times, did Joey think about going up to Craig's room and asking him what the hell his problem was, just leaving the house like that, and not answering his phone the first two times he'd called. Then, he thought about going up there and asking him why he was upset, and what he'd been thinking about in the car. Afterward, he decided to simply let Craig deal with the problem himself for once, and then he started to feel bad for making Craig put up with himself.

Joey had a hard time sleeping that night. He got up to go make himself some coffee, seeing as he wouldn't be able to go to sleep. But, apparently, he wasn't the only one that was having problems sleeping. He walked by Craig's room, and after turning on the hall light, he noticed that Craig's bedroom door was open, and because of the light, he could see that Craig was lying on his stomach, his hands under his chin, facing the wall directly behind the bed. That wasn't how he normally slept. But, he didn't say anything to Craig about it. He just let him be.

The next morning, Craig went downstairs, completely ready for school. Joey offered him some coffee, but he declined. "I don't need any coffee," he explained.

Joey knew that Craig would need some coffee, if he'd been up the entire night like that. He didn't look as though he'd slept at all. There were dark bags under his eyes and he could hardly keep his eyes open.

"Do you want to stay home today?" Joey asked.

"Uh, no, I have to get my grades up," Craig said. "I have a lot of work to catch up on."

Joey nodded, and let Craig go to school. Now he was seriously worried. Craig never would have cared about his grades a month ago, and suddenly he did? Well, he didn't have everything he does now a month ago.

During first period, Craig listened to Mr. Simpson talking on the phone, apparently with a good friend of his, as he was laughing and joking around with the person on the other line. Eventually, he hung the phone up, and Craig glanced over just in time to see Mr. Simpson looking at him. He began to get nervous and could no longer focus on the computer.

"Everyone, you're doing great, keep up the good work," Mr. Simpson said, walking along the road behind everyone. Suddenly, he bent down by Craig's ear and said, "Craig, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Craig scooted his chair out and followed Mr. Simpson to the hall.

"Yes?" he said, refusing to look up.

"I just got off the phone with Joey," said his teacher. Yep, he'd been on the phone with an old friend.

"Okay…" Craig wasn't sure where the was going, and didn't know if he wanted to know.

"Have you been sleeping okay?"

Craig looked at Mr. Simpson as if he'd just asked the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah," he said.

"Joey says that you were up last night."

"How the hell---I slept just fine last night."

"Okay," Mr. Simpson said, sighing calmly, "but if it happens again, you're going to have to talk to someone."

"Mmhmm," Craig said, going back into class and not wanting never, ever, ever totalk to Mr. Simpson again.

That night, Craig really didn't want to go home. He didn't want to be with Joey and Caitlin or even Angela. He wanted to be with Ashley, but she was off with Paige, and Craig wasn't sure what they were doing, really. So, he opted on being alone that night. He went to the café and got some coffee, and visited with some people that were inside.

Then, he decided simply that he really did want to be _alone. _He rose from the table and left the café.

When he drove away, he wasn't sure where he was going to go. He thought about going and getting some coke but then thought about a few other things and decided against it; there was no way he was going to go through that again.

He drove around for about three hours, trying to find a place to park.

He settled on a dark, deserted parking lot. The sky was clear and he out his cigarettes and leaned outside the window to smoke one.

When one was gone, he went for another. He liked this feeling of being able to think without other people's judgment. He then smoked about four more, and wondered why he was so into this all of a sudden, but didn't really dwell on it.

Without warning, his cell phone began ringing and he hit his head on the door. "What the fuck," he muttered under his breath. He shuffled around the car, dropping his burning cigarette on the floorboard.

Finally, he found his phone and flipped it open. "Hello?" he said dully.

"Craig, where are you? You haven't been home." It was Joey, again.

"I don't want to be home," Craig said, sitting up straight in the driver's seat and leaning down to pick up the cigarette he'd dropped. He took a drag and blew the smoke out just as Joey wanted the answer to another question.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing, Joey."

"Are you smoking?" Joey said.

"Yeah," Craig answered fearlessly.

Joey didn't say anything.

"Why?" Craig asked after a moment of silence.

"Craig…I need to talk to you…can you just…come home?" Joey almost begged.

Craig began to feel terrible.

"Uhm, yeah, Joey, I'll be home soon…is everything okay?" he asked. The way Joey was talking, it sounded as though someone had gotten hurt.

"Just come home," Joey responded.

The line went quiet.

Joey had been the one to hang up on Craig this time.

Craig finished his cigarette and started the car. He drove home, wondering what Joey wanted to talk to him about. Hopefully, it wasn't about his sleeping habits.

When he arrived at home, Joey was sitting on the edge of Craig's bed, staring at his hands.

Craig's heart stopped beating for a moment, and he wondered immediately what was wrong.

He watched the scene before him closely, as if it would move if he stared long enough. Tears slid from Joey's face to his hands and then onto the carpet. Craig could hardly move. "J-Joey," Craig said softly, "what's going on?"

Joey didn't speak for a few minutes, and Craig watched him helplessly.

Finally, Joey quietly responded, "Craig…you need help."

Craig's eyes widened.

"What?" he said loudly. "Joey, I _have_ help! I'm already taking medications!"

"No, no, no," his stepfather said calmly. "You need to go see your therapist."

"No!" Craig shouted. "NO! I'm NOT going to see her! _That woman is out of her fucking mind!"_

"Craig, don't swear, my daughter is right down the hall," Joey said firmly. "You need to see the therapist."

"Why?" Craig demanded, slapping his hand on the doorframe. "Why do I need to see the therapist?"

"You're—you think I don't know that you only sleep a few hours at night. You think I don't know what you do behind my back, and you think I don't know what's been going on for so long, and I'm really not sure why you can't sleep, but I want to know, Craig…I need you to get some help."

"Joey, I'm sorry. No."

"Then—Tell me why you can't sleep. Don't act like it doesn't happen, I know it does."

"Joey, I sleep just fine. Really, I do. I get enough to rest my brain for school."

"You don't get enough that someone your age needs. You get about two hours every night, and I know that."

"I'm not tired!"

"How can you not be tired after having about ten hours of sleep in the last week?"

"I just—I'm just not tired!"

"Yes, you are! What is bothering you so much? If it's about Caitlin, tell me now."

"It's none of your business, Joey, I'll think about it. I get decent sleep."

"Bullshit if you do!" Joey shouted.

"Don't swear, my baby sister is _right_ down the hall!" Craig snapped back at Joey mockingly.

Joey still didn't move from the edge of Craig's bed, and Craig knew something was up. He closed the door and scuffled over to the bed next to Joey.

"I'm sorry I hurt you so much; Really, I'm sorry I do so much to you."

"I love you, Craig. And if you ever need anything, I'm here, okay?"

"Okay," Craig answered. His throat began to burn and he felt like he was about to cry.

Joey put his arm around Craig's shoulders, and Craig couldn't resist laying down on his stomach and stretching himself out to get comfortable. Joey massaged Craig's shoulder blades and his shoulders, Craig felt himself relax, and he felt safe there. Nothing made him feel safer than being with Joey.

"Hey, um, Joey?" Craig said after almost falling asleep on the bed.

"Yeah?"

"I haven't been able to sleep much lately…" He paused. "Because…I want to know what's going to happen with you and Caitlin."

"I don't know what's gonna happen with me and Caitlin," Joey answered. "I don't want to have to deal with you two fighting but sometimes that's the way it has to be, and other times…I dunno."

"You love her, don't you?"

Joey inhaled deeply before saying,

"Yes, Craig, I do."

"Okay," Craig mumbled.

"It's not something I can help," Joey said softly, trying to make things better; however, he couldn't. Nothing could. Something else was wrong and he didn't know, and he didn't know how to make things better without that knowledge.

"Well...that's all I wanted to know. You can go now," Craig said, almost ordering him.

"Uhm...okay," Joey said. "I'll see you in the morning then."

Now he was getting suspicious of Craig but he didn't say anything.

"Okay," said Craig. That was starting to get old, Joey thought.

He closed the door behind him and leaned against the wall between Craig's and Angela's room. A few seconds later, he heard Craig moving inside his room, and then he heard a small click and then the room was silent again. Craig had probably gone to bed, the click being his light getting turned off.

Something was seriously wrong, and Joey now knew that.

Craig knew that Joey wanted to be with Caitlin. That wasn't what the problem was. He'd made that up. He was hiding something else.

But Joey didn't want to worry about that right this second. He would deal with it tomorrow.

He moved from his spot and went to his own room.

Crawling into bed, Joey flopped his head onto his pillow and breathed in the familiar scent.

He stared into the darkness and couldn't keep his mind of his stepson.

His new goal was to find out what was going on.

About an hour later, Joey was almost asleep when he heard Craig's car start. He got up out of bed and looked into Craig's room; he wasn't there. He went downstairs and peered out the window. He watched Craig pull out and leave the house.

He wondered how Craig had quietly gotten downstairs and out the door without him realizing it first. The only clue that he'd left was hearing his car start.

Joey then decided to just let him go; he would find out sooner or later about all of this.

**xXxXxXxXx**

As Craig pulled into the house that had seemed so familiar to him for the past three months, he wondered if what he was doing was right. Of course it is, he told himself. He got out of the car and went up to the door. He knocked and the someone came straight to the door. It was Katy. "Hey," she said cheerfully. It was only about 11 PM.

"Hey, Katy," Craig said quietly. "I have some money, do you--?"

"Oh, of course! Everyone's here, come on..." Katy said, pulling Craig into the house. She shut the door and led him into the back room.

Seven minutes later, Craig had bought cigarettes and coke from Katy's friends, some of which he didn't know, but he knew the cocaine was real.

He put a cigarette to his mouth; that's when he realized he had no lighter.

"Need a light?" said Jamison, one of the guys Craig didn't know.

"No," Craig said, accepting the lighter, "I was going to use my super heat vision powers."

He lit the cigarette and was content. Taking a drag, he said, "Okay...so now what?"

"Oh, right!" Katy said excitedly. She got up and left the room, and returned with a large piece of glass that used to be the mirror in the hall, and a silver tray. "Okay, okay, okay," she said, getting excited.

She pulled out her own coke, and a minute later, she snorted it.

Craig followed suit, snorting two lines himself.

He wasn't sure if he'd be able to drive home, but didn't care, really.

He got into his car anyway.

Somehow, he made it home safe. He unlocked the front door and came face-to-face with Joey.

"Where did you go?" Joey asked.

Craig didn't answer him. Instead, he went and sat at the kitchen table, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

"Craig, where did you go?"

"Nowhere," Craig said, trying to keep his voice as calm and flat as possible. Joey saw right through him.

"Are you high?" he said suspiciously; he already knew the answer.

"No, I'm not high, Joey, I--"

"Don't lie to me!" Joey shouted.

"I'm not lying," Craig said in a small voice. "I'm not high. I'm always like this, you should know that..."

"No, Craig, NO! Why did you do this? WHY? You're going to have to go through this, AGAIN! Why do you have to bring this onto yourself?"

"I'm not!" Craig cried. "I'm not doing this, I'm--"

"Stop it, Craig," Joey said. "Just go to bed. Now."

Craig looked up at Joey and waited a second before going up to bed. He hung his head low as he went upstairs, and closed the door behind him.

He pulled out his new pack of cigarettes and pulled one out. Then, he pulled out the remaining cocaine and set it on his nightstand.

He put his cigarette in his mouth and lit it with the lighter that he'd left behind before he went to the house (newly named The Shed, by Katy, Jamison, and Ryan).

"Woo, loo, woo loo," Craig muttered to himself, as he smoked his cigarette. Finally, he lulled himself to sleep; however, he was sitting upright in his bed.

The next morning, Craig went downstairs and saw everyone sitting at the table. Caitlin and Angela looked up at him; Joey did not. Craig felt shame pour into his body and he couldn't help but to turn away from the table and avoid the tension between himself and Joey. He went and sat down on the staircase. Joey didn't want him.

There was suddenly a knock on the door, and when Craig realized that he was supposed to be the one answering it, he got up and opened the door. It was Emma and Manny.

"Hey, Craig," they said in unison.

"Hey," Craig murmured.

"Uhm...Craig, we have to tell you something that might be kind of nice to know," Manny said.

"What is it?" Craig asked.

"Why don't we take it upstairs?" Emma suggested nervously. Apparently this was not something that was easy to talk about.

Craig took the two girls upstairs and they closed the door behind them.

"What is it? What's going on?"

"It's about Ashley," Emma said quickly.

"What? Is everything okay? Is she alright? Was there--"

"No, Craig. It's not like that. Just...every night for about two weeks, I've--we've--Craig, she's--" Manny stuttered.

"What is it? Tell me!"

"Oh my God, I can't tell you," Emma said. "But Craig, you have to believe me--Ashley doesn't--she's different than you think she is. She's not the way she acts, she's lying to you, Craig!"

"No. No, she's not. I'm--no, she's not."

"Craig, listen to us!" Manny cried out.

"NO!" Craig almost screamed. "Ashley wouldn't lie to me! She loves me!" He didn't want to hear this; they were lying to them. "You're just--you're trying to break us up! Just---no! Just leave! Go! You're lying to me!"

"Craig--"

"GO!"

The two girls left the house without another word.

Caitlin was standing at the bottom of the stairs. "What?" Craig snapped when he saw her standing there.

"What in the hell is going on?" Caitlin said loudly.

"Nothing! Nothing is going on!"

Craig ran to the phone and called Ashley.

Nobody answered, so he called her cell.

Voicemail.

He left a message.

"Ash? It's Craig...I want you to know...I love you. Okay? So just--please, please call me back." Then he hung up.

He dropped the phone on the floor and went into the bathroom. He locked the door and sat against the wall.

He didn't go anywhere that day. He stayed home, waiting for her to call back.

She didn't call back, but she came over.

"What's wrong, Craig, is everything okay?" she said quickly, when she saw Craig sitting at the edge of the bed quietly, just smoking his cigarette.

"I--nothing. I just haven't gotten to see you much lately," Craig replied. Ashley breathed a sigh of relief and sat down next to him. She kissed him softly and they talked for about an hour.

They didn't see each other much for another week or so.

Ashley came in the door again after about nine days.

She and Craig went up to his room, and were in there for about three hours.

_Another_ week later, she came back and said she needed to tell him something. They sat out on the sidewalk and Craig let her talk.

The next words that came out of her mouth were, "I'm pregnant."


	26. Part 21: Catching Up

Part 21:

A/N: Well it's June 30th and I finally decided to write this chapter I know, you poor babies, it took me effin forever to write…. Anyway, I just got another idea to put in this chapter. So. Here comes Part 21.

A/N: NOW IT'S JULY 11, and …. Yes. I'm still workin…lol.

A/N: July 22nd…Yes, I'm still working. And Tom is a stupid fruitcup and I fucking hate his guts. I might be the only person in the world with clinical MySpace addiction and he shut it down for today. Fucking douchebag, I hope he dies.

A/N: November 22. WOWWW. It's been monttttths. I AM SO SORRY. God. But this will be updated TODAY. So don't worry.

OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

After what Ashley had just told him, Craig sat, staring at her for a few minutes. Unable to comprehend properly what she'd just said, he gave her a blank look, hoping that she'd explain it more. When she didn't, he asked questions.

"But, Ash…we only—and only a couple times—how can—we used—Ash, how can you be pregnant? We did everything we could to prevent that," Craig whispered.

Ashley looked at Craig in the eyes. "You did everything you could to prevent me getting pregnant. But that was you," she said sternly.

"What?"

"Craig…"

"Ash, it doesn't matter. But—are you going to keep it?"

"I don't know."

"It's so important to me, baby, please…" Craig begged her. The look he gave her almost made her burst into tears.

"It's not your decision."

"Yes it is!"

"No, Craig…it isn't."

"It's part mine."

"No. It's not yours…it's not your baby. It's Sully's."

Craig's breath caught in his throat, and he was unable to move or breathe.

"I think you should go," came a voice from the doorway. Craig looked up. It was Caitlin, coming to save the day, and he'd never been more happy to see her since she moved back in. Ashley nodded at Caitlin and stood up from the porch, hoping that Craig would forgive her somehow.

Caitlin stared pitifully at her stepson. "Come on, let's go inside," she said calmly. She took his hand and pulled him into the house. His hand was cold and shaky.

The second that Caitlin closed the door behind them, Craig began to sob uncontrollably. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and led him over to the couch. She immediately picked up the phone and called Joey.

Joey, who was at work at the time, was finishing up washing a red sports car, much like his own. His phone began to ring and he stumbled with the sponge he was using. "Hello?" he said, after almost dropping the phone with his soapy hand.

"Joey, it's Caitlin. You need to come home right now."

"W-what? Is everything okay?"

"Hold on," Caitlin mumbled. She put the phone down on the kitchen counter, and Joey could hear everything that was going on, but he couldn't understand it.

In the background, he could hear Craig gagging, coughing, and bawling, and Caitlin trying to get him to calm down. Joey got in his car about a half-hour later and drove home.

By the time he got there, Caitlin had gotten Craig to take a short rest; he was sleeping on the armchair. "What in the hell happened?" Joey almost shouted when he walked in the door.

"Shh!" Caitlin hissed. But it was too late; Craig had already woken up.

When he opened his eyes, Craig thought at first that it was just a dream, this whole thing with Ashley and the baby…but the looks on Joey and Caitlin's faces proved him wrong. Caitlin pulled Joey away from the room and out onto the front porch, and Craig listened closely to what she was saying: "Ashley's pregnant with another guy's kid." The words stabbed him in the heart for the second time that day. This was all real.

They came back inside, and Joey knelt down in front of Craig, who was still sitting quietly in the chair. Craig leaned forward and wrapped his arms around him. Joey held Craig for a few moments before standing up and guiding him over to the couch. They sat down, and Craig looked at Joey. "I love her, and she…she doesn't even care," he whispered. Joey could hear the pain in his voice and almost cracked up himself; however, he had to be strong for Craig so that he'd feel safe with him in the future.

"You'll be okay," Joey assured him.

"No I won't," Craig argued back.

"It's gonna take some time, but it'll feel better."

"I'll never love again!" Craig said dramatically.

"Yes, you will, Craig. Calm down."

"_I can't! I'm in pain, Joey, can't you see that?!"_

"I can, but you need to calm down. You're gonna make yourself sick."

"I already am sick. I need to—go call—um—Emma. Yeah. I need to call Emma, Joey. I need the phone."

Caitlin picked up the phone from the end of the stair railing and handed it to Joey. Joey held the phone in front of Craig, and said, "Call."

Craig snatched it from his hand and rushed upstairs. Sitting down on the bed, he dialed Ashley's number.

"Hello?" Her voice came out like a disgusting insult; but she was crying, hard. Craig hung up quickly. He sat the phone down on his bed.

……………………………………………………

The phone that he'd had on his bed since that morning began to ring. He looked at the number…It was Sean.

"Hello?" Craig said quietly, after making him call several times.

"Craig?" Sean asked.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Hey…"

"Hey."

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm perfectly fine. _The one girl I loved more than anything just told me that she is pregnant with someone else's kid_. But YES, Sean, I'm just fucking grand."

"Craig…hold on."

"What?"

"_Hold on_." Sean hung up the phone.

Craig threw his phone across the room, and it hit the windowsill and fell to the floor.

"CRAIG! STOP THROWING THE PHONE!" Joey shouted from downstairs.

"NO!" Craig yelled back. "I'LL THROW THE FUCKING PHONE IF I WANT TO!"

Joey stormed up the stairs and threw open the door to Craig's bedroom. Craig jumped up and glared at Joey.

"I will throw the phone if I want to," Craig said in a cold, yet soft voice.

"Give me the phone, then."

"No."

"Give me the phone."

"NO!"

"Fine. Whatever, Craig."

Joey turned and left the room, taking one final glance at Craig before closing the door.

Well, Craig thought that was about the most horrible thing he'd seen in his life: Joey walking out the door and leaving him alone forever.

He couldn't find the feeling in his body to get up and go stop him.

He laid on his bed in a hopeless manner, with his head at the foot of the mattress, staring at the door, and waited for Joey to come back. He looked pathetic.

The door opened again and Craig looked up, hoping against hope that it was Joey.

But it was Sean.

Craig dropped his head back onto the foot of his bed and let his arms hang off the side of the mattress.

When Sean entered the room, what he saw was enough to give him nightmares for the rest of his life. On the nightstand was a small mirror with grains of un-snorted cocaine lying in stenciled white lines.

Sean sat next to him on the bed and put his hand on his shoulder.

He saw blood dripping down Craig's fingers, and onto the carpet.

"Dude," Sean said.

Craig looked up.

"What?" he demanded.

"Why in the fuck—?" Sean rushed toward the bed and raised Craig's arm. "Why did you do it? WHY DID YOU DO IT?"

"You don't know what it's like, Sean…You have no idea. It makes you feel so much better…and…"

"Don't talk like that. It's not gonna make you feel better for much longer."

"Yeah, it will. I'll feel better soon."

"No, you won't."

Craig looked into Sean's eyes.

"I want this."

"No. You're not gonna get it. You're being selfish."

"They left me…everyone left me."

"Who left you?"

"Ash…and then…Joey…"

"What do you mean 'Joey left' you?"

"He's gone…he left me."

"He's downstairs! He's sitting at the table!"

"You mean he's not gone? He didn't leave?" Craig cried joyously.

Tears welled up in Sean's eyes. It hurt like hell to watch his friend go through this.

"He's still here," Sean whispered.

"THERE'S STILL HOPE!" Craig mumbled. "Oh, my God…"

"No, buddy—stop. Please, just stop."

"JOEY MIGHT STILL LOVE ME, SEAN! WHY WOULD YOU TRY TO TAKE THAT AWAY?" Craig shouted, getting up from his bed and running down the stairs. He saw Joey sitting at the table, just as Sean had said. He ran to Joey, and knelt down in front of him. Joey looked at him with sincere concern.

"What in the---?" Joey said, looking down at Craig's arm.

He rested his hands on Craig's shoulders, and Craig stared back into his eyes with that look…something was not right. Joey could tell.

"Why don't you just go clean that off, and wrap it up, and then go sit down in the living room, Craig? It might help you calm down a little. Just go sit down. Okay?"

Craig could trust Joey right now; he was all he had anymore. He went and obediently sat down on the couch. Taking the first aid kit, Joey sat down next to Craig, and examined the deep wound before taking an alcohol pad and cleaning as much blood as he could from his arm, and then wrapped the cut in gauze.

"I need you to help me get him to the hospital," Joey said flatly, after returning to Craig's room to talk to Sean, who was taking the cocaine from the nightstand and dumping it out of the window.

"What's wrong?" Sean said quietly.

"He hasn't been taking his medications; he's having an episode. He needs to go to the hospital, right now, before he literally kills himself."

The two went back downstairs, and Joey entered the living room, where Craig still was, sitting alone. He looked perfectly content in his little spot on the couch, as if he'd forgotten about the whole morning.

Joey took his arm, and pulled him away from the couch. "Craig, I just remembered…you're supposed to meet your new doctor today. Okay? So let's go."

Craig allowed himself to be taken into the car, without a single struggle. He rode along in the car, buying into the whole 'meeting-a-new-doctor' thing.

When they got there, Craig was sitting in the waiting room, waiting to meet his doctor. Joey had been down the hall for quite a while now, and he wondered where he'd gone off to.

He began to fidget around, twitching, and tapping his hand on the arm of the uncomfortable chair he'd decided to sit in. What a bad decision he'd made; his butt was starting to hurt. Joey came back, along with two other doctors, who looked at Craig, and Joey helped them escort Craig to a room.

"I thought you said I was getting a new doctor today," Craig said softly as he sat down on the sterile bed.

Joey left the room. "Where are you going? Joey? JOEY!" he shouted as he watched Joey leave for the second time that day.

"He'll be back," a doctor assured him.

"Are you my new doctor?" Craig asked, with a childish smile on his face.

"No, I'm just a different doctor. I'm sorry to disappoint you. Now…Craig. You're going to have to sit here for a while before we can help you. Can you do that?"

"Yep!"

"Okay."

Craig looked around the room, and suddenly, a bad feeling came up into his mind. This wasn't right, was it? This wasn't meeting a new doctor, somebody _lied._

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"What?" said the other doctor.

"What in the hell is going on?"

"You need to be here for a while today. Not long, just a little while."

"Why?" He was getting scared. What if they were lying again? What if he was here for the rest of his life?

The doctor did not answer. The two of them left the room, and Craig almost started crying. What in the hell was going on? Why couldn't he know?

Joey finally returned, and told Craig that he needed some help. He still didn't understand. What was wrong? He didn't feel bad at all, except for being locked up in this room right now.

"Listen," said his stepfather, "there is something wrong. I've told you so many times to _take your medication_, but you didn't listen, and you're having an episode. You need to be here."

Craig bowed his head in shame. Joey was disappointed in him, and apparently, he wanted to get rid of him forever.

"Fine. Just leave, then. I don't need you."

"Craig?"

"No! I don't need you. You don't need me, I don't need you. I think we understand each other, now, go."

"I'm not leaving."

"GO!"

"Craig. If I were going to leave you, don't you think I would've done it years ago? Don't you think I would've just abandoned you, left you with your father? Left you to be most likely _killed?_ I'm not going anywhere, and I don't care what you say."

"Fine. Then don't leave." Craig wasn't even able to catch how Joey had manipulated the conversation in time to turn it back around.

Joey smiled sadly, touched Craig's shoulder, and left the room.

He went to the waiting room, where Craig had been just a few minutes before.

He sat down in a chair, very much like the one Craig had found himself sitting in, and broke down into tears. How could this be happening? Why now? Why did Craig have to suffer so much?

He felt strongly for his stepson, either out of pity, blatant love, or maybe a combination of both. Whichever one it was, he felt for him in his condition, and couldn't bear to leave him alone. But if he were going to stay here the entire day, he was not going to sit this whole thing out in a waiting room alone. He called Caitlin, and asked her to bring Sean along with her, if he were still there. He was.

When Caitlin showed up, Sean and herself sat with Joey in the waiting room, and Joey told them the situation: Craig had been off his medications for too long, and they were going to have to run a quick test and make sure that when he started taking them again, they wouldn't be too strong. Meanwhile, Craig was sitting alone in a room, with no one to talk to. Joey suggested that Sean should go in and talk to him for a few minutes, just to make sure he's doing okay; he didn't think he could bear to look at Craig again until the end of the day.

Sean walked down the halls to the room where Craig was situated, and opened the door slowly. Craig was sitting on the bed. "Hey," Sean said as he closed the door behind him.

His friend looked up at him, but it was not the same look as he'd given him earlier. He was no longer sad, no longer hopeless, or afraid. He was frustrated, and angry. It scared Sean a little, but he didn't leave. He couldn't, not now. He was already here. He could not let him know that he was afraid of him.

He sat at the foot of the bed, and Craig stared at him with narrowed eyes.

"Do you need something?" he said.

"I wanted to come make sure you were doing okay, not doing anything stupid."

"Are you saying _I'm_ stupid?"

"No, I'm saying you do stupid things," Sean shot back. They were being at an even level of anger right now; Craig was angry at the world, Sean was angry at Craig for cutting himself, and finding the cocaine lying around.

"I could kill you in one swift move, Sean, don't forget that. Ever."

"Maybe if you had a knife on you, buddy. Oh, wait, that's right. You carry one around with you everywhere, don't you?"

Craig began to shake. He could control himself. Control. Control. He couldn't speak.

"Yeah. One swift move. I dare you."

Control is gone.

One moment, they're sitting on the bed together; next moment, Craig has Sean pinned on the floor, trying to make it seem as if he'd won. Sean allowed him to sit there for a second, but quickly flipped positions, and soon, Craig was the one that was down.

"What are you DOING?" Craig shouted.

"I'm helping your dumb ass. Now go ahead and hit me. Take your frustrations out on something other than yourself for once."

Craig began punching Sean's shoulders, stomach, chest, and arms, but he couldn't seem to reach his face. Sean took every hit; Craig would feel better in the end. He wouldn't be so upset. Eventually, he grew tired, and laid on the floor, quietly. His breathing was heavy, and Sean helped him back up onto the bed.

The two young men sat in silence for a short period of time.

Hearing something coming from the other side of the room, Sean looked up. Craig was crying, and it broke his heart. He got up from where he'd sat near a corner on the floor, and walked over to the bed. He wrapped his arms around Craig, feeling his shaking and hearing his apologies. "I wanted you to do it. It's okay, don't worry about it."

"I always screw everything up," Craig sobbed. "Always. I'm the reason Ashley's having someone else's kid, she doesn't love me, she never did. I screwed up, I'm not even good enough to be a father, I've heard it so many times…"

The stress of the day's events and the fact that his friend was crying in his arms came down onto Sean and he silently cried, too, only Craig didn't know it. He was only thinking about his pathetic life. He hated himself.

After all was said and done, Craig was allowed to go home, but wouldn't go to sleep until Joey consented to Sean spending the night with him; he didn't want to be alone, and he and Sean had a lot of catching up to do.


End file.
